Meeting With Destiny
by RkieFan
Summary: Mike Danko meets his future wife and learns of her tortured past. COMPLETE.
1. Default Chapter

DISCLAIMER: The characters are the property of Spelling/Goldberg Productions and Viacom Entertainment. The author retains the rights to the story, not the characters. No copyright infringement is intended. I'm not making any money off of this.  
  
TITLE: Meeting With Destiny (Re-Post)  
  
RATING: R  
  
SETTING: Pre-Pilot.  
  
SUMMARY: Mike Danko meets his future wife and learns of her tortured past.  
  
AUTHOR'S NOTES: 'Meeting With Destiny' was the second story that I posted on fan fiction.net, written before I started using a beta reader. By my somewhat picky standards, I don't think it's as well written as my later stories so I've decided to write a new and improved version. My many thanks to Bridget for beta reading the new (and I hope) improved version and for not thinking me too crazy when I told her I was going to do this.  
  
I also want to thank my good friend, Gina, for letting me borrow chapter and verse some aspects of her own tortured past and for showing me what a person is capable of rising above.  
  
Also, one more note for the people who are thinking of emailing me and telling me that Mike was in the Air Force. I know this. I'm going against series canon by having Mike enlisted in the Army. He's in the Army in all of my stories. This is because the Air Force did not use helicopter pilots, while the Army and Navy did. My source on this is very reliable. He told me if the continuity people had been paying attention, they would've picked up on their error. In the pilot and in the episode, 'Dirge For Sunday' the fact is mentioned that Mike worked in the missile silos. In later episodes he stated he flew a helicopter.  
  
CHAPTER ONE: Jill  
  
It was a hot morning in August 1969. Jill Kingston woke up and tried to sit up in bed, but instead she found her wrists restrained to the sides of a hospital bed. She tugged on the leather cuffs, trying desperately to loosen them. She didn't know where she was but she was determined to find out. She stopped struggling when she heard a key turn and the door to the room opened. A doctor walked in, followed by a nurse carrying a clipboard.  
  
"Good morning, Miss Kingston. I'm Dr. Malloy. If you promise not to do anything, I'll remove your restraints," the doctor told her pleasantly.  
  
"Why would I do anything? Who brought me here?" Jill asked in a sharp voice.  
  
"Your friend, uh, Mr. Applegate," Dr. Malloy answered, reading the name off of the clipboard the nurse handed him. "You did quite a number on your wrists."  
  
"You said Trap brought me here? Where is he now?" Jill demanded.  
  
"I'm not sure. He did say he'd check in on you in a couple of days. You can't have visitors until after you've been evaluated by the staff psychiatrist," Dr. Malloy informed her, making notes on her chart.  
  
"What's going to happen to me now?" Jill inquired nervously.  
  
"That's up to you. Your grandfather's been notified that you're here, but he's stated that he can't make the trip to bring you back home. Why don't you tell us about the bruises?" The doctor offered kindly.  
  
"What bruises?" Jill asked, feigning innocence.  
  
"You're covered in bruises Some are fresh and a few are several days old. When we asked your friend about them, he said you'd taken a fall down some stairs. If someone's hurt you, tell us and we can help," the doctor advised her gently.  
  
"I don't need your help," Jill told them stubbornly.  
  
After changing the dressings on her wrists the doctor left the restraints off. They then left the room, once again locking the door behind them. Jill sat back on the bed and ran her hand through her long, tangled brown hair. She never in a million years figured she'd end up in a locked psych ward. She gingerly removed the sheet off her legs and looked at the huge black, blue and purple bruises that covered them, as well as her back and arms. After several minutes she pulled the sheet back up and tried to gather her thoughts. She couldn't go back to the house in Beverly Hills and going home to her grandfather's farm in Alabama was almost as bad. She needed to talk to Trap. She wondered when they were going to send the shrink in to talk to her. The doctor had told her she couldn't have visitors until after she saw him.  
  
As things turned out she didn't see the psychiatrist at all until the next morning. By this time she was angry as well as afraid. She didn't sleep well, so she lay awake the night before and listened to the sounds of the ward. Shoes squeaking, women crying, voices calling out...it was a terrifying experience. By the time she heard her door unlock after breakfast she was a nervous wreck.  
  
"Miss Kingston, I'm Dr. Karras. I'm sorry I didn't get to talk to you yesterday. How are you doing today?" He asked pleasantly. Jill noted that he was a friendly looking man in his early 40's with salt and pepper hair, dressed casually in jeans and a Hawaiian shirt.  
  
"I want to know when I can go home," Jill said plaintively.  
  
"That depends on what you consider home. I don't want to send you back to whoever it was that beat you. The next time you could end up dead," the doctor told her, as he sat down in a chair by her bed.  
  
"I don't know why you're all insisting that someone beat me. Like my friend told the doctors, I fell down a flight of stairs," Jill lied.  
  
"Your chart states that your injuries aren't consistent with a fall. You also appear to have been sexually assaulted. Talk to me, Miss Kingston, or can I call you Jill?" The doctor asked, concern written all over his face.  
  
"Look, I don't know what you people are talking about! I just want to get out of here!" Jill cried.  
  
"I realize that, but you have to level with me. Tell me who hurt you and I can contact the police. They can have whoever it was picked up," he told her.  
  
"I thought I was here because I cut my wrists! Why do you care if I was beaten or not? Has Trap been here?" She asked.  
  
"Who?" The doctor thought for a minute, then smiled. "Oh, Mr. Applegate. Yes, he's been here. He seems quite concerned about you. I told him he could probably see you today or tomorrow, but you won't be released until we find a safe place to send you...preferably back to Alabama with your grandfather."  
  
"Why do I have to go back to him? I can take care of myself," she told him quietly, biting her lip and staring at the top of the blanket.  
  
"Yeah, I can see that," he said dryly. "I talked to your grandfather, Jill. He said you've been gone for five years. He told me that you took off with this Trap fellow and some other guy who's several years older. Is this older guy the one who beat you?"  
  
"Why can't you leave that alone?" She begged.  
  
"Because you came damn close to dying. Now, if you don't care, that's fine. We'll release you in thirty days and you can go back to that maniac and let him finish the job. However, if you do care, then I suggest you let us put you back on a bus to Birmingham to go live with your grandfather," the doctor advised firmly, standing up.   
  
"Are you leaving?" Jill queried in a sullen voice.  
  
"For right now. If you want to talk, the nurses will find me," he answered, walking over and rapping on the locked door. An orderly opened it and the doctor left.  
  
Later that afternoon, Jill was told that her friend T.R. (Trap) Applegate was waiting for her in the visitor's room. She was finally let out of the locked room and led down the hall to the visitor's room.   
  
Trap was sitting in an armchair waiting for her. At 21, he was two years older than Jill's 19 years, he was just over six feet tall with collar length brown hair and light brown eyes. He led Jill over to a card table and they sat down facing each other.  
  
"Are you okay?" Trap asked solicitously.  
  
"I don't know. Why didn't you let me die, Trap?" Jill whispered, afraid someone would hear.  
  
"Because you're my best friend," he stated softly, taking her hand and squeezing it gently. "They told me they'd release you in a couple of days if I promise to take you back to Birmingham. I signed the papers."  
  
"What did you do that for?" She hissed in a bitter voice.  
  
"Because your only other options are staying here or going back to Cleve! Jill, he's going to kill you!" Trap countered furiously.  
  
"Does he know where I am?" She whispered, eyes darting around the room nervously, half expecting Cleve to come in any second.  
  
"Not yet. I haven't gone back to the house. I took his car and went out to Benedict Canyon. I'm staying with Bryce and Kathy. Let me take you back to Alabama before he finds out where his car is," Trap insisted.  
  
"He's going to know I went back to the farm," Jill protested anxiously.  
  
"So?" Trap looked at her quizzically, wondering where she was headed.  
  
"I have an uncle who lives in Anniston. He has a bar, I think. If you take me to Anniston, maybe Cleve won't find me. Maybe I can get a job working for him," Jill finished in a breathless voice.  
  
"Jill, they told me that I have to take you to Birmingham, no exceptions!" Trap felt like exploding.   
  
"They're never going to know if nobody tells them. Look, the old man doesn't want me living there with him. He doesn't want the responsibility. Besides, if you don't take me to Anniston, I'll finish what I started the other day," Jill threatened.  
  
"What're you talking about?" Trap asked warily.  
  
"My grandfather has a gun collection. I was raised around guns, Trap. The next time I won't miss," she vowed icily.  
  
Trap felt sick to his stomach. "Jill, what if they check to see if I took you to Birmingham? We're not just talking about you, here!" Trap didn't know what he could say or do to make her understand what was at stake.  
  
"Don't worry about it. Just get me out of here and I'll take care of everything else," Jill told him in a cold voice. "What're you going to do about money? It's going to take us a few days to travel across country. We're going to have to stop for the night."  
  
"I talked to my father. He's going to wire me some money. I should have it in the morning," Trap ventured hesitantly.  
  
"Was he surprised to hear from you?" Jill asked curiously.  
  
"No, actually it wasn't as bad talking to him as I'd thought it was going to be. He's just glad that I'm coming home. Look, I have to go. I'll be back tomorrow to see you again," Trap finished, standing up.  
  
  
Two days later, Dr. Karras came in to see Jill before she was released into Trap's custody. "Do you and your friend have money?" He asked.  
  
"Yeah, his father wired him fifteen hundred bucks yesterday. That should get us home and take care of any emergencies that might come up," Jill told him, anxious to leave.  
  
"Did they show you how to change the dressings on your wrists?" He questioned.  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"The stitches will need to be removed in about a week," the doctor continued, nodding. "Keep them dry and go to the emergency room at the first sign of any infection. You also need to make arrangements to see a psychiatrist once you get back home."  
  
"Look, doc, I appreciate your concern, but I'm okay. I don't need to see a shrink," Jill insisted, wondering what was keeping Trap.  
  
"You don't have a choice here, Jill. Either you make arrangements to see a psychiatrist or I'll get a court order making it mandatory," the doctor insisted.  
  
"Okay, so I'll make arrangements to see a shrink," Jill sighed, rolling her eyes.   
  
"Whether you realize this or not, there are people who care about whether you live or die. You're the only one who knows what led you to do what you did. Talking to a psychiatrist will help you talk about it and maybe keep you from trying the same thing again," he told her.  
  
About that time there was a tap on the locked door. An orderly unlocked it and told Dr. Karras that Trap was there waiting to take Jill home. She breathed a sigh of relief as she picked up a bag with a few articles of clothing that one of the nurses had brought for her after being told she had nothing, which wasn't exactly true. The few things she owned were in the house with Cleve and she had no intention of going back to get anything.  
  
After giving her and Trap some last minute instructions, Dr. Karras reluctantly released Jill into his custody.   
  
Trap led Jill out to the red Corvette convertible and threw Jill's bag into the back seat.  
  
The first night they stopped in Phoenix. Jill stretched out on one of the double beds while Trap stretched out on the other one.  
  
"Cleve's going to be mad about his car," Jill commented sleepily.  
  
"What's the big deal? Daddy will just buy him another one. He was so stoned when I took you out of there that he probably doesn't even realize it's gone," Trap yawned. After a few minutes of silence, he spoke again in a voice so low Jill could barely hear him. "I'm sorry, Jill."  
  
"You don't have anything to be sorry for," Jill said, looking over at her traveling companion.  
  
"If I could've gotten into that room to protect you, I would have," he vowed.  
  
"I know that," Jill replied softly. "I also know if you had gotten into that room, he would've taken that .45 in the drawer by the bed and blown your brains out."  
  
"I didn't know they were going to sign you into the psych ward," he muttered "If I'd known they were going to lock you up, I would've found a way to stitch you up myself."  
  
They arrived in Anniston, Alabama, three days later. Jill directed him to the home of her aunt and uncle, her grandfather's brother and sister-in-law. Even though she hadn't seen them in years, she remembered the way from memory.  
  
"Trap, I'll be okay. I know your father's anxious to see you," Jill reassured him, grabbing her bag and getting out of the car.  
  
"Jill, what if they don't let you stay?" Trap asked.  
  
"I'm family. I'll be fine," Jill assured him.   
  
"Damn it, Jill! I'm supposed to take you to Birmingham! Your grandfather's expecting you!" Trap snapped furiously.  
  
"Trap, remember what I told you about the guns? I'll talk to you in a few days," she told him.  
  
Trap reluctantly drove off, leaving Jill to walk up to the house. She took a deep breath before knocking on the front door.  
  
"Uncle Ray?" Jill guessed hesitantly when an older man opened the door.  
  
"Ray, who is it?" An older woman called out, walking into the living room.  
  
"It's Jill, Letty," the man told his wife.  
  
"Oh, my Heavens! Don't just stand there, Ray! Let her in!" The woman cried, stepping forward to hug her niece. Jill instantly shrank back.  
  
After letting her into the house, they asked her to sit down. Jill did so, stiffly perching on the edge of a chair.  
  
"I came here hoping you could help me, Uncle Ray," she began as the front door opened and Ray's son, Jimmy, walked into the house. His eyes widened in shock and surprise when he saw Jill sitting there.  
  
"Jill, hi," he said, walking over to hug her, only to have her draw back as she had with his mother. "It's been a long time. What brings you to this neck of the woods? We all heard you'd split."  
  
"I think she was about to tell us, Jimmy, before you interrupted. Go ahead, Jill. What do you need my help for? I thought that's what your grandfather was around for," Ray said gruffly.  
  
"I can't go to him. Not after all this time. I was wondering if I could get a job working in the bar," Jill answered, trying very hard not to beg.  
  
"I see. How old are you, Jill? Eighteen, nineteen?" He asked thoughtfully.  
  
"Nineteen," Jill answered.  
  
"Why can't you go back to the farm?" Ray asked.  
  
"Because that's the first place Cleve will look for me," Jill replied honestly.   
  
"Is Cleve what happened to your wrists?" Jimmy asked quietly, noting the white gauze.  
  
"No, I'm what happened to my wrists. Please, Uncle Ray? I don't have anywhere else to go," Jill pleaded.  
  
Something about the look of desperation in his niece's eyes tugged at Ray. He'd known the Andrews family his whole life. Cleve was a bad seed if he'd ever seen one. He'd tried to persuade his brother to notify the police when he'd been told Jill had left with him.   
  
"If I give you a job, Jill, I'll have to pay you under the table. If the Bureau of Tobacco and Firearms finds out I've hired an underage person to tend bar, they'll take my license away. You have to be extremely careful whom you talk to while you're there. Do you understand me?" Ray asked.  
  
"Yes, I understand," Jill whispered, heaving a sigh of relief.  
  
"I have an old trailer up the road that you're welcome to stay in as long as you're working for me. It's nothing fancy, but it has running water and lights. Can you drive a stick?" He suddenly asked as Jill nodded. "You can have that old VW in the driveway."   
  
"Why are you also giving me a car and a place to live?" Jill asked, surprised.  
  
"Because you're family," he smiled. "Now, Letty was about to cook dinner. It looks like it's been a while since you had a decent meal."  
  
After picking her way through dinner and stilted family conversation, Ray had Jimmy walk Jill over to the trailer.  
  
"Where's your wife and kids? I mean, you are married, aren't you?" Jill asked as they walked up the road.  
  
"They're in Montgomery visiting relatives. They'll be back this weekend. Jill, can I ask you something? Why did you take off with him?" Jimmy blurted, unlocking the door of the trailer and leading her inside.  
  
"He told me he loved me," Jill stated simply.  
  
"Where did you go?" He probed.  
  
"Los Angeles. Some friend of his father's had a house in Beverly Hills so we stayed there," Jill answered, looking around the tiny trailer. "Look, Jimmy, if he calls you haven't seen me."  
  
"Don't worry, I never liked that guy, anyway. I don't know anything. There are towels and linens in a closet in the bathroom. It's not Beverly Hills, but it has everything you'll need," Jimmy told her.  
  
  
As Jill had predicted, Cleve Andrews was not a happy person. He had been extremely stoned the day Jill had cut her wrists. By the time he'd completely sobered up two days later, Jill and Trap were both gone and so was Cleve's prized red Corvette. He called everybody he knew in the immediate Los Angeles area that might've known where his car had disappeared to. He hit pay dirt when he called one of his biker buddies.  
  
"Bryce, hey, it's Cleve. I was wondering if you'd seen Trap Applegate. He has my 'Vette and I'd like to know where he's taken off with it," Cleve began.  
  
"Well, Trap was here a few days ago, but he left and I haven't seen him since," Bryce hedged, looking at his girlfriend, Kathy.  
  
"Was Jill with him?" Cleve asked.  
  
"No. I'll keep an eye out for both of them though, Cleve," Bryce promised, anxious to get off of the phone.  
  
As soon as Cleve hung up, the phone rang again. Thinking it might be Trap or Jill, he snatched it up. It wasn't either one of them, but it was his father.  
  
"Cleveland, what in the hell is your friend Ted Applegate doing driving your Corvette?" His father demanded.  
  
"He's there with it now?" Cleve asked, stunned.  
  
"No, he drove it over here and dropped it off earlier today. Would you mind telling me what in the hell is going on?" Mr. Andrews' voice boomed over the phone.  
  
"I'm not sure, daddy. I know Trap was upset and wanted to go back home, but I had no idea he'd drive cross country to do it," Cleve stammered, wondering if Jill was there as well. "Daddy, did Trap take Jill to her granddaddy's house?"  
  
"Jill wasn't with him. I don't know where she is, I don't care where she is and if you know what's good for you, you wouldn't care, either. I don't understand how someone can take your car and you're completely clueless about it. Have you been drinking?" His father demanded.  
  
"Some, but I wasn't drunk. He must've sneaked out in the middle of the night. I thought he was still in town, but none of my friends had seen him or Jill. I'm glad to know he's all right," Cleve lied. He really wanted to get his hands on him and Jill and wring both of their necks.  
  
"Cleveland, I want you to come home. I take it you've still got the Ferrari," his father said.  
  
"Yes, sir."  
  
"Then, come home. You've been out there fooling around long enough. I'll be expecting you in three days," his father instructed in a voice Cleve knew better than to argue with.  
  
"Yes, sir," Cleve mumbled as he hung up the phone. If Jill wasn't in Huntington at her grandfather's farm or in Pensacola with Trap, he wondered where she could be. He went upstairs to pack his things.  
  
  
Jill started working in the bar the next day. Her uncle showed her around the place.  
  
"Most of the customers I get are soldiers from Ft. McClellan. They don't cause any trouble, they just like to come in, drink a few beers and unwind. But, if you do get any rowdies, just use this," he informed her, pulling a baseball bat from underneath the bar. "If this fails, call the cops."  
  
The regulars loved it when they came in that afternoon and saw Jill. They referred to her as 'scenery' or 'window dressing' until Ray shut them all up by bringing out the baseball bat and shaking it menacingly in the air.  
  
"That's my niece you guys are talking about and you'll do well to show her some respect!" Ray shouted as the guys backed off.  
  
The first two days she was there Jimmy watched her carefully, wondering what her story was. He could tell she wasn't happy. He could also tell she wasn't sleeping by the huge, dark circles under her eyes. When he asked her about California and Cleve, she stared him down. He decided that there was only one person besides Jill who knew what had happened and that was Trap. On a Friday night after work, he called Trap and made arrangements to meet with him the next morning.  
  
The next morning Jimmy met Trap at his parent's house. Jimmy handed him a cup of coffee before they walked out into the backyard.  
  
"So, how is she?" Trap asked Jimmy.  
  
"Miserable. Trap, what happened? I mean, I know Jill wasn't exactly a ray of sunshine the last time I saw her, but the Jill I knew back then wouldn't stoop to attempting suicide," Jimmy told him.  
  
"It was bad, Jimmy. Real bad. Cleve's a freakin' maniac. I'm surprised he didn't kill her. He beat her all the time. We were always either drunk or stoned or both," Trap said in a quiet voice.  
  
Jimmy sat there patiently listening as Trap told him a story that sickened him. Listening to the young man's tale, Jimmy realized how fortunate it was that Jill had survived at all. Trap's story explained so many aspects of Jill's behavior since her return, mainly why she wouldn't let anyone touch her.  
  
"I tried to help her, Jimmy. If I could've gotten into that room just one time..." Trap concluded, with tears in his eyes.   
  
"If you'd managed to get into that room you'd both be dead. You did the right thing by bringing her back here. I swear, if I ever see that son of a bitch, I'll kill him with my bare hands," Jimmy muttered through clenched teeth.  
  
"Well, you'd better get ready, because my brother was telling me that he saw Cleve with his father at the feed store in Huntington yesterday morning. Tell Jill to keep her eyes open and watch her back," Trap warned.  
  
  
Jill was sitting on her battered sofa reading a paperback novel that evening. If she could relax she could enjoy the peace and quiet and being able to read without being bothered. She had trouble sleeping at night. She half expected Cleve to come stumbling into the room, drunk or stoned and wanting sex. She jumped out of her skin when she heard a knock on her door. She opened the door to find Jimmy standing there.  
  
"What do you want? It's late," she remarked in a shaky voice, stepping aside to let him in.  
  
"I just got back from Pensacola. Trap told me what happened between you and Cleve," Jimmy announced.  
  
Jill blanched and she swallowed hard. "Why did you go asking him anything about me and Cleve? What happened between us isn't any of your business!"   
  
"Why didn't you call the police on him, Jill? He was raping you, for Pete's sake!" Jimmy shouted.  
  
"Keep your voice down!" She hissed. "He told me that if I ever called the police, he'd make what was left of my life a living hell! I don't want to talk about this, especially with a man!"  
  
"Okay, I get the message. But I also have a message. Trap's brother said he saw Cleve with his father yesterday in Huntington, so watch your back," Jimmy warned.  
  
"Thanks, Jimmy," Jill whispered as she let Jimmy out of the door.  
  
Jill sat up most of the night trying to think of where else she could go where Cleve wouldn't find her. The only other two places she could think of to go were Athens, Georgia, where her mother lived or Atlanta, where her father lived. Both places had about as much appeal as a three-hour root canal.  
  
She continued thinking about her options on Sunday, not knowing that her path and her destiny were going to be decided for her on Monday afternoon.  
  
TO BE CONTINUED... 


	2. Meeting With Destiny: Chapter Two

DISCLAIMER: See Chapter One for disclaimer.  
  
TITLE: Meeting With Destiny - Chapter Two  
  
RATING: R  
  
CHAPTER TWO: When Destiny Walks In The Door, Grab Onto It With Both Hands  
  
When Major Michael Danko walked outside the air terminal in Ft. McClellan, Alabama, he looked around for the car that was to take him to meet with his commanding officer. After several minutes, a young man approached him and led him over to a dark blue sedan, throwing his bags into the trunk.  
  
Mike glanced at the scenery as the car drove slowly toward the base. To him, this was just another stop in his army career. In between two tours of duty in Vietnam, he'd previously been stationed at Ft. Meade, Maryland and Ft. Sam Houston, Texas. He wasn't sure he was crazy about his new post, but he'd learned that sometimes one place wasn't any better or worse than any other place.  
  
After checking in with his commanding officer, the young orderly drove him to his quarters. Mike unlocked the door and stepped inside a room that wasn't much larger than a broom closet. But, he didn't plan on spending enough time in his quarters to worry about how spacious they were. He knew how busy he'd be and most off duty time was spent in the recreation center with the other guys.  
  
He jumped slightly at a light knock on his door. He opened the door and smiled to find a familiar face standing there. Capt. Garry Cateshah had left Vietnam on the same plane Mike had, but had gone to New York to visit his wife and kids. He'd then picked up his car and made the drive cross-country to their new post.  
  
"So, Danko, a little bird told me you'd arrived. Tell me, what do you think of red neck hell?" Garry asked, as the two friends shook hands.  
  
"Oh, I don't know. I've only been here a couple of hours, so I haven't formed an opinion. How long have you been here?" Mike asked.  
  
"A couple of days. Long enough to know I want to get out of here as soon as possible. Anyway, the reason I'm here is I was about to head into town. I was going to go down to the bowling alley and hang out for a few hours. Why don't you change into more comfortable clothes and ride with me?" Garry suggested.  
  
"Did you say the bowling alley? When did you take up bowling?" Mike asked, making a face.  
  
"I never said I was going to bowl. The bar is the local hangout. The guys go in and harass the bartender," Garry smiled.  
"Why?" Mike asked.  
  
"I'm not sure. The girl is pretty, but she's a nut case," Garry said.  
  
"So, that gives you guys an excuse to bother her? I have to admit, I'm curious about what the attraction is that would make you guys bother an innocent young woman. Give me a few minutes to change clothes," Mike said.  
  
Mike changed into a pair of khakis and the two men took off for town in Garry's beat-up Ford Falcon to make the fifteen-minute drive to the bowling alley. When they arrived, Garry led Mike to the back of the building where the bar was located. He pushed open the door and both men entered the smoke-filled room. While the place wasn't exactly jumping, yet, it was still filled with several young men either playing pool, darts or sitting around drinking beer. Most of the men were dressed in either khaki, as Mike was, or camouflage fatigues. One of the men spotted Garry and waved them over.  
  
"Captain, hey! We saved you a seat!" The young man called out as Garry and Mike walked over to sit down in the two remaining chairs.  
  
"Mike, this is Lt. Rick Stevens and Lt. Mark Carter. Gentlemen, this is Major Mike Danko, a very good friend of mine," Garry said as Mike and the two men shook hands. "So, what's our friendly neighborhood bartender up to tonight, Stevens?" Garry asked, tilting his head toward the bar.  
  
"The usual. Scowling at everybody who walks in and playing nothing but The Turtles on the jukebox," Rick said, taking a swallow of his beer.  
  
"Well, if somebody'll put some money on a pool table, I'll buy the next pitcher," Garry offered, taking out his wallet and pulling a five dollar bill out. "The only stipulation is Michael here has to go up and get the pitcher."  
  
"Oh, yeah!" The other two men agreed, laughing, as Mike appeared puzzled.  
  
"Am I missing something?" Mike asked.  
  
"No, we just want you to get your baptism under fire. I can bet that you've never dealt with anybody like Jill," Garry said, handing Mike the five.  
  
Mike stood up and walked toward the bar. There were two things he noticed about the young woman standing behind the bar. The first were her heavily bandaged wrists, which she tried to immediately hide, as if she felt his eyes on them. The second were her eyes. He felt drawn to them. They were large and incredibly brown with huge dark circles under them as if she hadn't slept in several days. Her hair was dark and long. He didn't understand why the guys were making such a big deal about her. He found her very pretty and wondered what her story was.  
  
"Hi. Can I get a pitcher of beer and two glasses?" Mike asked.  
  
The minute he spoke, Jill had the feeling that she'd just met the men she was going to marry, which was strange, because she had no intention of ever marrying a soldier. She slowly drew the pitcher and put it on a tray with two beer mugs. She looked at Mike carefully as he handed her Garry's five.  
  
"Do you know you have different color eyes?" Jill asked, feeling slightly flustered and wondering why she had just said that.  
  
"Yeah, a lot of people tell me that. Uh, go ahead and keep the change," Mike told her when she started to hand him his change.  
  
"You're being awfully generous considering that this isn't even your money," Jill told him.  
  
"Sometimes, I can afford to be generous. You have the saddest eyes I've ever seen in my life," Mike said, watching her carefully.  
  
Jill hurriedly handed Mike his change. She didn't like where this conversation was going, at all. "You know, I've heard some corny pick-up lines since I've been here, but that one about tops the list."  
  
"So, do you have a name?" Mike asked, not wanting the conversation to end.  
  
"If I heard right, your friends told you my name," Jill told him in a tight voice.  
  
"Mike, let's go! We've got a pool table! A guy could die of thirst waiting on you!" Garry shouted.  
  
"It looks like your friends are waiting, Michael!" Jill said, leaving to take care of someone at the other end of the bar.  
  
Mike picked up the tray and walked back over to the pool table where Garry, Rick and Mark were waiting to give him a hard time.  
  
"Mike, forget her. That girl is a lost cause," Mark told him.  
  
"I specialize in lost causes," Mike said, still observing Jill.  
  
"Well, you'd need a PH.D. to figure that one out. She wandered in here about five days ago. Her uncle owns the place and her cousin does the books. He's out here constantly keeping an eagle's eye on her," Rick said.  
  
"Keeping an eye on her? Why?" Mike asked.  
  
"Who knows? We got threatened with a baseball bat if we even thought of trying anything. Besides, did you get a look at her wrists? She's suicidal," Rick said, taking his pool cue and breaking.  
  
"Sad, maybe, but not suicidal," Mike said.  
  
Something about Jill intrigued Mike and he spend most of the night watching her, thinking she didn't know he was watching. But, what he'd soon learn about Jill was she didn't miss anything. In her mind, she couldn't afford to. She did her work half-heartedly, as if she'd rather be anywhere other than inside the bar. To Mike, she looked like she'd been through a wringer. At around eight o'clock, a man came out of a back office and sat down at the bar. Mike figured that had to be the cousin. Jill poured him a cup of coffee and began talking to him in a low voice.  
  
"Jimmy, how much longer do I have to stay here?" She asked, feeling Mike's eyes on her from across the room.  
  
"Hey, I thought you had an agreement with my old man. You can stay in the trailer, rent free, as long as you help out here. Jill, I know you don't like the soldiers, but nothing is forever. Maybe you can get your G.E.D. and go back to school or something," Jimmy tried to console her.  
  
"There was a fight in here the other night. Fortunately, two of the customers broke it up, but what if I'd had to call the cops? They'd start asking questions about how old I am and then they'd send me back to the old man and you know how I feel about that!" Jill hissed furiously.  
  
"Jill, these guys who come in here don't want to cause any trouble. It's the locals that you have to watch out for. These soldiers know that if they cause trouble in here, then their C.O. finds out about it and the next thing you know, this place is off limits to them. My father can't afford for that to happen. Now, you're tough. You know how to use that bat under the bar as well as he does," Jimmy assured her.  
  
"They watch me all the time like I'm some kind of freaky tourist attraction," Jill complained.  
  
"That's because you're usually the only woman in here. Anyway, what did you tell me when you came back with those pretty, taped-up wrists? That people are going to think what they want to think. One day, you're going to decide that you want to tell somebody about what happened in that house..." Jimmy stopped as Jill looked at him with a horrified expression on her face.  
  
"That will never happen!" She vowed.  
  
"How do you know that? Jill, it's raw right now and it hurts, but one day..." she once again stopped him.  
  
"I will NEVER talk about ANYTHING that happened in that house! Never!" She almost screamed at him.  
  
"Don't say never, Jill, because one day, you're going to meet someone who's going to want to know and he isn't going to accept the fact that you don't want to discuss your past," Jimmy said.  
  
"Speaking of meeting people, do you believe in fate?" She suddenly asked.  
  
"I don't know. What do you mean?" He asked.  
  
"Maybe fate's not the right word, maybe it's a hunch, but have you ever met someone and gotten a strange feeling about them?" She asked.  
  
"What kind of a strange feeling? Jill, where are you going with this?" Jimmy asked, puzzled.  
  
"One of the soldiers was up here a few minutes ago and I had this feeling that I'd just met the man I was going to marry," she said as Jimmy smiled.  
  
"Marrying a soldier wouldn't be such a bad thing, Jill. At least, you'd always have a place to live. And, besides, a green beret could protect you from Cleve," he pointed out.  
  
"I can handle Cleve, thank you very much," Jill said.  
  
"Yeah, I can see how well you handled him. That must be why your wrists are bandaged up," he said slowly.  
  
"Don't start on me about my wrists, Jimmy!" Jill warned.  
  
"I've gotta get back to work. Yell if you need anything," he said, getting up and walking back to the back office and closing the door.  
  
Watching the exchange between Jill and her cousin, Mike decided he wanted to get to know this young lady better and he knew in order to do this, he was going to have to befriend her watcher. He started coming into the bar almost every day after work. Sometimes, he was accompanied by his friend, Garry, but most of the time he was alone. He came in one afternoon shortly before Jill arrived. Jimmy was behind the bar stocking the shelves. He smiled when Mike sat down.  
  
"She's not here, yet, Major," Jimmy said, handing Mike a beer.  
  
"You're onto me, huh?" Mike said, taking a drink.  
  
"Yeah and if I'm onto you, you can bet your bottom dollar that Jill is, also. She doesn't miss anything," Jimmy said, smiling.  
  
"So, is it a problem?" Mike asked. The last thing he wanted was to get into some kind of family beef.  
  
"No, she could do worse. In fact, she has done worse. But, she won't give you the time of day. She doesn't let people in, Major. Not me, not my folks, not even her shrink. You don't exactly look shocked about that last part," Jimmy said, walking around the bar and sitting on the stool beside Mike.  
  
"I've seen her wrists," Mike said quietly. "Does anybody know why she did it?"  
  
"Nope and she clams up as soon as anybody asks. She was with this guy who was a lot older than she was and from all the signs that I've seen, he was abusive as hell. The thing is, he still has some kind of a hold on her," Jimmy told Mike.  
  
"So, you think she'll go back to him," Mike surmised.  
  
"Yeah, if she feels like she hasn't got any other options. I see you watching her every time you're in here. Do you like her?" Jimmy asked as Mike laughed.  
  
"I'm intrigued by her. I don't know if I know her well enough to say whether I like her or not. I know she doesn't like me very much," Mike said as Jimmy smiled.  
  
"That's just part of my cousin's charm, Major. She doesn't like anybody very much. She's a sweet person, Major..." Jimmy started saying when Mike stopped him.  
  
"Please, it's Mike. I'm only major on base," Mike said as Jimmy nodded.  
  
"Okay, Mike. She's a sweet person. She's well read and smart and extremely outspoken, it's just all messed up in a lot of crap that I really don't understand. Just give her some space, okay?" Jimmy asked as Mike nodded.  
  
Just then, the door opened and Jill walked in, rolling her eyes when she saw Mike sitting at the bar with Jimmy. The first thing Mike noticed was the bandages were gone from her wrists.  
  
"What're you doing here? Don't you have soldier things to do?" Jill asked, going behind the bar.  
  
"I came to see you," Mike explained as Jimmy groaned.  
  
"Well, you've seen me, now have a nice day," Jill said sarcastically as Jimmy got up.  
  
"Excuse me, I've got work to do in the back. Mike, I'll talk to you later," Jimmy said as Jill glared at him.  
  
"Damn it, Jimmy! Don't do this to me!" She begged.  
  
"I'm not doing anything to you, Jill. You're doing it all to yourself," Jimmy said walking toward the back office.  
  
"Jill, if I annoy you, I apologize," Mike told her as she continued staring him down.  
  
"It's not just you. Everybody wants to know too much about me," she whispered, fearfully.  
  
"Have I asked you anything about yourself, Jill?" Mike asked her pointedly.  
  
"No, but you will. People see my wrists and I hear them all whispering 'God, I wonder why she did it,'" she said, unconsciously rubbing them.  
  
"Well, if you hear them, just say that it must've been some accident," Mike said.  
  
"But, it wasn't an accident," she replied.  
  
"Then, why did you do it?" He asked.  
  
"See! I knew you were no different than anybody else!" She said angrily, walking over to the jukebox.  
  
"Hey, you brought it up, I didn't. I think you're about to wear The Turtles out, don't you think?" He asked as she dropped some coins into the jukebox. "Jill, do you play pool?"  
  
"Yeah," she replied absently as the first notes of 'It Ain't Me Babe' filled the room.  
  
"One game. If I win, you tell me why you slashed your wrists," Mike said, as Jill turned around, clearly interested.  
  
"And, if I win?" She asked.  
  
"If you win, you don't have to tell me anything and I won't ask again. Fair enough?" He asked.  
  
"Okay. That sounds fair. Hold on and I'll go to the back and get my cue," she said as Mike stood up.  
  
"Wait! You never said you had your own cue!" He cried out as she gave him a rare smile.  
  
"I know and you never asked," she said, as Mike felt like kicking himself.  
  
Mike soon learned that Jill was as serious about her pool playing as she was about everything else. She had no trouble beating him, even though he considered himself a fair player. Afterward, he sat back down at the bar while Jill fixed herself a soda and got him another beer. He sipped on his beer while he watched her.  
  
"Who taught you to play?" He asked.  
  
"Someone that I used to know. So, what do you do when you're not in here harassing me?" She asked him.  
  
"I train helicopter pilots and in my spare time, I run," he said as she made a face.  
  
"For fun?" She asked.  
  
"It keeps me in shape. What do you do in your spare time?" He asked, glad she was at least talking to him today. Conversation with her tended to be on a mostly hit or miss basis.  
  
"Wander," she told him, looking at her wrists.  
  
"Where do you wander to?" Mike asked, clearly intrigued by her answer.  
  
"Anyplace people can't find me. Sort of like the Simon and Garfunkel song," she said as Mike nodded.  
  
"So, is it working?" He asked.  
  
"So far, but I can feel the circle getting smaller," she said sullenly.  
  
Something about what she'd just said touched something in Mike. He reached out to touch her hand, only to have her quickly yank it back. The look in her eyes reminded Mike of an animal caught in a trap, fearful and distrustful.  
  
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to throw you off-guard like that. Listen to me, though. I don't know whom this guy was that you're so afraid of, but I'm NOT him. Okay? Now, I'm going to leave before you throw something at me, but I'll see you later. Okay?" He asked as she slowly nodded.  
  
By asking around and keeping his own eyes and ears opened, Cleve was able to pin down Jill's whereabouts. He'd been watching the trailer for a few days and decided it was time to make his move.  
  
A couple of days after her conversation with Mike, Jill was sitting inside her trailer when she heard someone banging on her door. She opened it without looking to see who it was first and almost screamed when Cleve burst into the small trailer, causing her to jump back.  
  
"Cleve, what're you doing here?" Jill asked.  
  
"I've been looking for you for days. It looks like I've finally found you, too. Damn, my sources are good! What're you doing living in this dump?" He asked, looking around in distaste.  
  
"Cleve, I'm not supposed to see you!" Jill warned him.  
  
"Why don't you pack your things and I'll take you back to L.A. with me," he told her.  
  
"No, Cleve," Jill said, shaking her head as Cleve gave her a menacing look.  
  
"What do you mean, no?" He advanced on her, shoving her as he did. "I said, pack your things! Now!"  
  
Jill was starting to panic. The trailer wasn't like the house in Beverly Hills, where she'd sometimes been able to get away from him. Here she was in a much smaller confined space. When she tried to run past him to get out of the door, he grabbed her arm and squeezed it, hard. Jill finally managed to yank away from him and was able to make her way to the front door. Now it was Cleve's turn to panic, as he knew she was going to get help.  
  
"All right, Jill, fine! If you don't want to go with me right now, that's just fine! But, listen to me! I'll be back!" He said, stomping out of the door and getting behind the wheel of her red Ferrari, squealing off in a cloud of dust and gravel.  
  
By the next morning, Jill's arm and back sported vicious bruises, but she knew she was in much better shape than she'd been in the past after an encounter with Cleve. She went into the bar the next day wearing a long sleeved shirt to cover up the bruises on her arm, but she couldn't hide anything from Jimmy, who knew from his father that Cleve had been there the day before.   
  
Mike knew something was wrong when he came into the bar that afternoon and Jill wouldn't speak to him, at all, not even in her characteristic monosyllable answers. He was sitting at the bar talking to Jimmy when Jill bent down to pick up a case of empty bottles to take them to the storeroom. Standing up, she hit her bruised back against the counter top and winced. Mike watched her as she left the room.  
  
"Jimmy, what happened to Jill's back?" Mike asked.  
  
"Her ex-boyfriend happened," Jimmy said bitterly.  
  
"He found her?" Mike asked.  
  
"Yeah, I guess he did. I don't know what happened. I tried to ask her, but she won't tell me anything. Typical Jill," Jimmy said.  
  
"Do you want me to try to talk to her? Sometimes, she'll talk to me. Usually, it's just word soup, but I've learned to sort out most of it," Mike said, as Jimmy smiled.  
  
"She won't talk to you about Cleve, Mike. I'm scared for her. One day, he's going to kill her and I don't think she even cares," Jimmy said sadly.  
  
Jill was cleaning up later that night after the bar closed. Jimmy sat at his usual place at the bar as she wiped down the counters.  
  
"Mike was asking me what happened to your back," Jimmy said as Jill looked at him.  
  
"Yeah? What did you tell him?" She asked.  
  
"I told him Cleve was what happened to your back. Do you want to talk about it?" He asked.  
  
"No, I don't," she said.  
  
"Okay. Tell me this, then. What do you think of Mike?" He asked her.  
  
"Most of the time, I try not to think about Mike, one way or another," she said, toying with the bar rag.  
  
"You'd rather be thinking of Cleve?" Jimmy asked, disbelieving.  
  
"Right now, I try not to think, period," she said back.  
  
"I think you should give Mike a chance. You know, go out with a decent person for a change," Jimmy told his cousin.  
  
"Jimmy, in case you haven't noticed, Mike is an Army OFFICER. An Army officer isn't going to want anything to do with the likes of a person like me. Once I divulge my history, he's going to turn tail and run," Jill told him, her eyes blazing.  
  
"Why are you so hard on yourself? Mike says he's tried to talk to you, but you're keeping that wall up, as usual," Jimmy said.  
  
"Jimmy, why don't both of you do me a favor and leave me alone!" She screamed at him.  
  
"He's going to kill you one day. But, I'm sure you're already aware of that," Jimmy said as Jill nodded.  
  
"I know," she said quietly.  
  
"Mike was telling me that he runs the track out at the high school," he said, suddenly changing the subject.  
  
"Why are you telling me this?" Jill asked.  
  
"You wander around. One day, I was thinking that you might accidentally wander over to the high school, say, on Tuesdays and Thursdays early in the morning," Jimmy said, watching Jill carefully.  
  
"Jimmy, please stop trying to fix me up with him!" She begged.  
  
"I'm not trying to fix you up with anybody. I just want you to get Cleve out of your life before it's too late. Where is he now?" He asked. He wasn't anxious for the guy to show up at his front door.  
  
"I don't know where he went. He got mad because I wouldn't go back to L.A. with him," Jill said.  
  
"You stood up to him. That's good," Jimmy praised her.  
  
"This time. The next time I might not have a choice," Jill said.  
  
"You always have a choice, Jill. What's it going to be that you cut the next time, Jill? Your throat?" He asked as Jill blanched.  
  
"I'm done here. Are you going to lock up?" She asked.  
  
"Yeah, but wait and I'll walk you out. Jill, will you at least think about what I said?" He asked as she gave him a blank look.  
  
"About what?" She asked.  
  
"About Mike," he replied.  
  
"There isn't anything to think about," Jill told him.  
  
Mike continued coming into the bar on an almost daily basis. When Jill had told Jimmy she didn't think about Mike, that wasn't entirely true. Sometimes she did find herself thinking about him in spite of herself. Especially when she'd look up and find him watching her from across the room. She thought about what Jimmy had said about going out with a decent person for a change, then she'd take one look at the scars on her wrists and shake that thought right out of her mind. She liked Mike well enough, but she didn't trust him. She couldn't trust anybody, not with all of the secrets she had in her life.  
  
Mike kept trying to get Jill to open up to him. He knew that her trust in people had been destroyed or at the least, very badly damaged. Sometimes, she'd talk to him, but as he'd told Jimmy, most of what she said was word soup, or as he took to calling it later, talking in riddles. For the most part, he was able to decipher what she was talking about. Mike was quieter by nature than Jill was. She could talk non-stop at times, especially when she had something to say. She explained to Mike that it was a Southern tradition for women to talk all of the time.  
  
"All Southern women?" He asked her with a grin.  
  
"Yeah. We do that and faint a lot," she said, bantering back.  
  
"I haven't seen you faint, yet," he told her.  
  
"I'll have to introduce you to my aunt, sometime. She faints at the drop of a hat," Jill told him.  
  
A couple of mornings later, Jill woke up after a bad dream. She glanced over at her alarm clock and saw it was almost ten o'clock. She lay there thinking about different things, but for some reason, her thoughts always came back to one thing: Mike. Lately, he'd been staying late to help her clean up after the bar closed. She was scared of where her feelings were starting to go where the tall Army officer was concerned. She remembered what Jimmy had told her about the squadron running at the high school twice a week. Jill didn't understand why, but she felt the need to see Mike, for some reason. She got out of bed and quickly got dressed before walking the half-mile to the old high school. The track was full of Army green, so Jill climbed into the bleachers to watch them.  
  
Mike was running with the rest of his squad when he suddenly had the feeling that he was being watched. He slowed down his pace and looked toward the bleachers, surprised to find Jill sitting there. She quickly got up and was ready to run when Mike walked up to the fence.  
  
"Jill! Wait! Don't go! Please?" Mike begged her as she hesitated. "What brings you out here?"  
  
"I was wandering and ended up here. I can see that you're busy," she said, starting to walk down the bleachers.  
  
"Are you alright?" He asked, still stunned that she was here.  
  
"I'm not sure. I had a bad dream, but I have them all the time. I'll see you later," she said as Mike tried to think of a way to stop her.  
  
"Wait!" He begged once more as she turned to look at him. "Look, I have to run one more lap. Will you wait for me? Maybe we can go get some lunch and talk."  
  
"I don't eat," she said, rubbing her wrists.  
  
"Yeah, I can see that," Mike said, noting her rail thin body. "Well, I do. Probably enough for both of us. Will you please wait for me?"  
  
"I don't know. Maybe," she said, clearly undecided.  
  
"One more lap, then I have to take a shower. I won't be more than twenty minutes, at the most," he promised her as she slowly climbed back up into the bleachers.  
  
Jill sat there waiting for Mike, still asking herself what in the hell she was doing. She looked down at the fresh scars on the insides of both wrists. She wasn't sure if she was ready for Mike's questions and she knew he was going to start asking them. There wasn't going to be any stopping him now. She was opening up the door to them. She was still deep in thought when she felt the bleachers sag as Mike walked up them to where she was sitting. His cap was pulled down low over his face, hiding his eyes, something that made Jill uneasy.  
  
"Take your cap off. I can't see your eyes," she said, as she shaded her eyes.  
  
"I can't. Regulations. So, have you decided? Will you have lunch with me?" He asked.  
  
"Mike, like I told you a few minutes ago..."  
  
"I know. You don't eat. Well, I do. So, will you join me? I'm hungry enough to eat a horse," he said as Jill smiled.  
  
"You might be in luck," she said, as he looked puzzled.  
  
"How do you mean?" He asked.  
  
"I've eaten at the diner in Anniston. Horse might just be on the menu. I thought you had to eat at the mess hall," she reminded him.  
  
"I don't have to. My time is basically my own until 12:30. So, are we on for lunch or not?" He asked, slowly holding out his hand.  
  
He held his hand out to her as he stood up. Jill glanced at his outstretched hand for a minute before slowing placing her hand in his. It was at that moment that Jill knew her fate was sealed. She knew she was going to belong to this man as sure as the sun rose in the morning and set at night.  
  
Mike opened the passenger door for Jill, and then he got behind the driver's seat and drove to the diner. As he opened the door to the diner for Jill, the place fell silent. It seemed that everybody in the diner knew Jill and she knew everybody in the diner. She quickly led Mike over to a table before anyone could comment. The waitress came over to take their order. She was a woman of about 23 with teased, heavily sprayed brown hair. She stood there popping a piece of gum as Mike looked over the menu. Jill just fixed her eyes on a spot behind Mike's shoulder.  
  
"I want a hamburger, fries and an iced tea. Jill?" Mike asked, looking at Jill as he handed the menu back to the waitress.  
  
"Jill doesn't eat. She just drinks to excess and takes a lot of drugs. Does Cleve know you're here with another guy, Jill?" The Waitress asked as Jill glared at her.  
  
"Bring me an iced tea, Debbie," Jill said, ignoring her remark about Cleve.  
  
"My brother was telling me he's seen the red Ferrari around town," the girl named Debbie stated.  
  
"Excuse me," Mike said, starting to lose his temper. "If we need anything, I'll call you over."  
  
"Sure, no problem," she said, sashaying back toward the counter.  
  
"I think she just blew her tip," Mike mumbled just loud enough for Jill to hear him.  
  
"That's okay. I know how she really makes her money and it isn't by working here as the waitress of the year," Jill commented as Mike smiled.  
  
"So, Cleve's still around?" Mike asked as Jill shrugged.  
  
"If she says he is, he probably is. I haven't seen him and I don't intend to, either. Aren't you wondering about everything else she said?" Jill asked, toying with the napkin holder.  
  
"What you did in your past doesn't matter that much to me. I just want to know if you're clean now," Mike said.  
  
"I never took a lot of drugs. I admit that I drank a lot and I still do, sometimes. I got a bad rep from the people I was hanging out with," Jill admitted.  
  
"Like this Cleve character?"  
  
"Yeah, him and a few other low life's," Jill said.  
  
"Jimmy was telling me that we have something in common," Mike told her.  
  
"What's that?" She asked, curious.  
  
"California. My folks live out there and I heard you were out there for a while," Mike said as Jill visibly paled.  
  
"One thing, Mike. I NEVER want to talk about California," she stated firmly.  
  
"Okay. I take it California was a bad experience," he said as she nodded.  
  
"You have no idea," she replied.  
  
"Can I ask you something else, then?" He asked as Jill shrugged.  
  
"I don't know. What do you want to know?" She asked.  
  
"Your wrists? Why'd you do it?" He asked, pointing toward them.  
  
"I don't know. At the time, it seemed like a good idea. It's not something I want to discuss over lunch," she said, stopping as Debbie walked over with their order and set it in front of them. Mike began to eat while Jill started playing with her tea glass. "Can I ask you a question?"  
  
"Sure, you can ask me anything," Mike said, adding ketchup to his fries.  
  
"Are you married?" She asked as Mike almost choked.  
  
"No, I'm not married," he assured her.  
  
"I had to ask because I know that a lot of the guys who come into the bar from the base like to mess around," Jill told him.  
  
"I don't play that game. If I were married, you wouldn't be here with me right now," he vowed, picking up his hamburger and taking a bite.  
  
"Okay. Then, why me?" She asked, stealing a French fry from his plate.  
  
"Honestly, I don't really know. There's something about you that intrigues me and I think brick by brick, I'm going to tear down that wall that you've built around yourself. I know you're afraid to let me in right now, but you will," Mike said, sounding very sure of himself.  
  
"You have a college degree?" Jill guessed.  
  
"Yeah, why?" Mike asked.  
  
"I thought so. You talk like my shrink," she said, smiling as she stole another fry from his plate.  
  
"I like seeing you smile. So, how long were you with this Cleve guy?" Mike asked.  
  
"Five years," Jill said as Mike stared at her.  
  
"Five years? How old were you when you left home?" Mike asked, stunned. She looked like a child.  
  
"Fourteen," Jill replied.  
  
"You left home with him when you were 14? How old was he?" Mike asked, not believing what he was hearing.  
  
"Twenty, at the time," Jill said, taking a drink of her tea and adding more sugar to it.  
  
"And, no one had a problem with this? What about your parents? Jill, you were a minor! Hell, you were a child!" Mike said as Jill gave him a blank look.  
  
"I don't like to talk about my parents. And, according to the law, I'm still a minor. Look, Mike, I really don't like talking about Cleve or the reasons why I was with him. I'm still trying to sort some of that stuff out myself," she said as Mike nodded.  
  
"Okay, then I guess I'll have to change tactics. Do you like movies?" He suddenly asked.  
  
"Yeah, I like movies. Why?" She asked curiously.  
  
"Would you like to go to the movies with me?" He asked. "I might even throw in an occasional dinner since you seem to enjoy watching me eat."  
  
"Yeah, I'd like to go to the movies with you. I've never been on a true date before," she told him.  
  
"I hate to cut this short, but I have to get back to the base. Can I drop you off somewhere?" He asked, reluctant to end the lunch.  
  
"Yeah, I've got to be at work in a little while, so can you drop me off at the bowling alley?" She asked as Mike nodded.  
  
Mike was in his quarters a few days later when Garry knocked on the door. Mike let him in before going back to sit on his sofa.  
  
"I haven't seen much of you around lately. Word on the street has it that you've been hanging out at the bowling alley, making time with the bartender," Garry said, getting a beer from Mike's refrigerator before sitting in a chair.  
  
"Yeah, I've been hanging out at the bowling alley. So what?" Mike asked, his guard up.  
  
"Are you out of your mind?" Garry demanded.  
  
"That's the question I should be asking you. I'm not the one screwing around on my wife with anything that wears a skirt," Mike said.  
  
"Yeah, I like to play, I always have. But, this isn't about me right now! It's about you and the fact that you're about to throw a brilliant career out the window and for what? Stay away from her, Mike! She's nothing but bad news," Garry shouted at his friend.  
  
"Her name is Jill and you don't know anything about her," Mike said in a tight voice.  
  
"Oh and you do?" Garry sneered.  
  
"No, but I do know that someone in her past has hurt her badly and she needs all the friends that she can get," Mike said.  
  
"Mike, just be careful. A girl like her can hurt your career," Garry warned him.  
  
"Look, until you know the story, stop trying to jump to my rescue. And, like I said, I wouldn't be talking about hurting my career if I were you. I don't hop into the sack with so many women that I can't keep their names straight, so leave me alone!" Mike shouted as Garry got up to leave.  
  
Jill enjoyed going out with Mike. Sometimes they'd sit in his car and talk for hours, about nothing and about everything. Some topics of conversation were safer than others. If Mike were on rocky ground, Jill would instantly clam up. It didn't take him long to learn what was a safe topic and what wasn't. Anything concerning Cleve and what happened in California was completely off limits, as was most things concerning Jill's past. She liked being with somebody that she could laugh with. She'd never had that with Cleve.  
  
They went to the drive-in one night to see 'Butch Cassidy And The Sundance Kid.' Mike had promised to get her home early, since she was supposed to open the bar the next morning at eight o'clock. Jill was sitting close to Mike in the car, their fingers tangled together when she sensed he wasn't watching the movie. She looked over to find him watching her.  
  
"Hey, your favorite part's coming up where they're about to jump off of the cliff into the river," Jill reminded him. "I thought you were supposed to be watching the movie, not me."  
  
"But, watching you is so much more interesting," Mike whispered, bending down to gently kiss her. At first, she reacted as if touched by a live wire, but gradually she relaxed as she remembered that Mike wasn't Cleve. He wasn't going to hurt her.  
  
"I was beginning to wonder what that would be like," she smiled at him.  
  
"What? Kissing me?" He asked as she nodded. "Well, we are at the drive-in, so technically we should be sitting in my car with the windows steamed up."  
  
"I'm not ready for the steamy windows part, Mike," she murmured as he kissed her again.  
  
He dropped her off at the trailer shortly after midnight. She waved as she watched him drive off. She closed the door and locked it before taking a shower and climbing into bed. She didn't know that Cleve was once again watching every move she made, which included seeing her with Mike.  
  
Cleve parked his Ferrari down the road from the trailer and walked up. He didn't want anybody hearing the loud engine of the sports car. He jimmied the flimsy door of the trailer and crept inside. Jill was huddled under the light blankets on the bed. He sat down in a chair near the door and watched her. He knew she was a light sleeper and that sooner or later, she'd wake up and find him in her room.  
  
He sat there for about an hour when Jill suddenly sat bolt upright in bed. When she reached to turn the lamp on, it wouldn't come on.  
  
"Who's the soldier boy, Jill?" Cleve's voice sounded out of the darkness.  
  
"Cleve, what're you doing here?" Jill asked, scared out of her wits.  
  
"I came to get you. I told you that I'd be back," he promised, walking over and flicking on the wall switch causing Jill to blink in the sudden glare.  
  
"Get me? What're you talking about? I told you that I wasn't going back," Jill said, pulling the covers up to her chin.  
  
"I'm giving you a chance to change your mind. It'll just be you and me this time. None of my friends, I promise," Cleve said, opening her closet door and pulling out a battered suitcase.  
  
"I told you that I'm not going back with you!" Jill shouted.  
  
"So, tell me about G.I. Joe. Is he as good in bed as I was? I remember how you used to scream and scratch my back..." Cleve taunted.  
  
"I was screaming because you were hurting me, not because I was having a good time! And, as for scratching your back, I should've grabbed that gun out of the drawer and put it between your eyes!" Jill screamed at him.  
  
"If you had, then you would've lost!" He shouted, suddenly getting into her face as she drew back in terror. "Now, get up, get your damn clothes on and let's go! I don't have all day!"  
  
"No, Cleve! I told you that I'm not..."  
  
Cleve's first blow caught Jill totally by surprise. Almost every time he'd hit her before, he'd used a leather belt or his club. He rarely used his hands or fists, because it was too painful for him. He was wearing a ring that caught Jill's upper lip, cutting it badly. He beat her until she lost consciousness before creeping out of the trailer into the night. When she woke up, she could barely move. The sheets and her nightgown were covered with blood. She crawled into the bathroom to take inventory of the damage, wondering if she needed a doctor this time. She walked into the kitchen and looked for the piece of paper that Mike had given her with his phone number on it.  
  
Mike was sound asleep when the phone broke into his dreams. He glanced at his clock and groaned when he saw it was barely three in the morning. Phone calls at three in the morning never contained good news.  
  
"Hello?" He said groggily into the phone. There was no answer for a few seconds, and then he barely heard Jill's voice, which caused him to sit up straight.  
  
"Mike, I'm sorry to wake you up," she barely whispered.  
  
"Jill, speak up! I can't understand you! What's wrong?" He asked.  
  
"Mike, Cleve was here. I woke up and he was here and..." her voice dropped as she began to cry.  
  
"I'll be there in ten minutes!" Mike said, quickly hanging the phone up and grabbing his clothes.  
  
Jill was still trying to clean up when she heard Mike's car pull into the gravel driveway, followed quickly by his footsteps on her front porch.  
  
"Jill!" He called as she slowly walked to the door. When he saw her face, he instantly saw red. He pushed past her into the kitchen where he unloaded an ice tray into a dishtowel. He banged the towel against the counter to crush the ice before walking into the living room and handing it to Jill.  
  
"Put that on your face," he instructed as he began pacing back and forth in her tiny living room. Jill had never seen this side of him before. "God, I'd love to get my hands on the son of a bitch! I would rip his damn throat..."  
  
He stopped when he saw the look of fear on Jill's face. She'd dropped the towel and was watching him, her brown eyes huge before suddenly bursting into tears. Mike ran over and gathered her into his arms. She resisted, at first, before finally clinging to him and sobbing.  
  
"Baby, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to scare you! Shh, it's going to be okay. Here, sit down," he kissed her gently before once again handing her the towel. "Hey, you're going to flood the place if you keep crying. Let's get some of these cuts taken care of. Do you have any iodine?"  
  
"In the bathroom," Jill sniffled.  
  
Mike found the iodine and some cotton and began to carefully clean the cuts and bruises on Jill's face.  
  
"I know it hurts," he told her as she kept slapping his hand away. "Do you need a doctor?"  
  
"No, doctors are as bad as cops. They ask too many questions," she said as he put the cap back on the iodine. "He was in my room when I woke up, Mike. He must've forced the front door."  
  
"Yeah, well, it doesn't take a lot of force on these old trailers. I'll see what I can do about putting a better lock on the door. Do you have any aspirin?" He asked, standing up.  
  
"On the shelf by the refrigerator," she instructed him as he went to get the bottle and a glass of water.  
  
"Here, take these. It'll help with the pain," he said as she swallowed the two aspirin.  
  
After she took the aspirin, he sat back on the sofa and pulled her close to him. After several minutes, he heard her breathing even out and knew she'd fallen asleep. He watched her for a while before he fell asleep as well. He woke up the next morning with a crick in his neck and empty arms. He opened his eyes to find Jill standing in front of him with a cup of coffee in her hand. The bruises and cuts looked worse in the light of day than they had at three in the morning.  
  
"What're you going to tell Jimmy about what happened to you?" He asked, accepting the cup of coffee gratefully.  
  
"I don't know. I already told him I wasn't coming in. I'll make up something. Mike, thanks for coming over," she said with a smile.  
  
"I worry about you. Are you sure you're okay?" He asked, not liking the looks of some of the worst cuts.  
  
"Yeah. He's given me worse beatings than this and I survived," she said nonchalantly.  
  
"I think that's a little more information than I wanted to know. Look, I have some things to do on base this morning. How about if I pick some stuff up at the store and I barbecue here. I could pick up some steaks, salad fixings and maybe a bottle of wine," he suggested, standing up and stretching.  
  
"Yeah, that sounds nice," Jill agreed.  
  
"Then, I'll see you this afternoon, around five or so," he said, kissing her on the forehead.  
  
Back in Pensacola, Florida, Trap had begun to get worried about Jill. She wouldn't return his phone calls and his letters came back unopened. Then, his brother gave him some news that really worried him. He told Trap that Cleve was back around and getting Jill back was a full time occupation to him. Trap decided to make the trip up to Anniston to check on Jill himself. She couldn't avoid him forever. Jimmy groaned when Trap walked into the bar early that afternoon.  
  
"What're you doing here, Teddy?" Jimmy asked.  
  
"I thought maybe Jill was working today," Trap said, looking around.  
  
"She was supposed to, but she called in. Woman problems," Jimmy said, as Trap nodded.  
  
"So, how's she doing?" Trap asked, sitting down at the bar.  
  
"Okay. She told me she's not talking to you, though," Jimmy told his friend.  
  
"You didn't tell her about our conversation, did you?" Trap asked, horrified.  
  
"No, but there's someone else in the picture now. It's getting where it's not safe for her to stay here in Anniston," Jimmy said.  
  
"So, Cleve has been around?" Trap asked as Jimmy nodded.  
  
"Yeah, he paid her a visit this morning from what Mike told me," Jimmy said as Trap covered his eyes.  
  
"Mike's the other person in the picture? What does he do?" Trap asked.  
  
"He's an Army officer," Jimmy said, as Trap looked impressed.  
  
"The Army, huh? That's good, she's moving up in the world. Is she staying with your folks?" Trap asked.  
  
"No, she's staying in my Pop's fishing trailer up the road from the house. Are you going to go see her?" Jimmy asked as Trap got up.  
  
"Yeah. Any messages?"  
  
"Just tell her to call me later," Jimmy said as Trap walked out the door.  
  
Jill was lying on her sofa watching TV, trying to find a comfortable position for her aching body. Everything ached, even the roots of her hair hurt. Sleeping was an impossibility, so she just lay there passing the time until Mike came back over. He'd called a couple of times to check on her, assuring her that he'd be back over later that afternoon. She was beginning to worry once again about where things were going with him. She felt things were moving much too fast and if they continued at this pace, she was going to have to tell him things about her life that she didn't even like thinking about, much less remembering. She sat up when she heard a car pull up outside. Thinking it was either Mike or Jimmy, she opened the door, groaning when she saw the red Mustang.  
  
"What do you want, Trap?" She asked in irritation.  
  
"Oh my God. He really did a number on you this time. Are you all right?" He asked, approaching the trailer.  
  
"Again, what do you want?" She asked, blocking the doorway.  
  
"I came to check on you. My brother told me he'd spotted Cleve hanging around, so I knew it was just a matter of time before he showed up here. It looks like I was too late, as usual. Have you seen a doctor?" He asked gently.  
  
"I don't need a doctor," she said.  
  
"I saw Jimmy and he told me that you're seeing someone. Tell me about this someone," he urged her.  
  
"What do you want to know about him? He doesn't beat me and rape me like Cleve did. He doesn't do drugs and get wasted with his biker buddies every night. Is there anything else you want to know?" She asked sarcastically.  
  
"I was just wondering how much he knows," Trap said, following Jill into the trailer.  
  
"About what?" She asked, pretending not to know what he was talking about.  
  
"Oh, come on, Jill! You're not stupid! You know damn well what I'm talking about! Does this guy know about you? Does he know EVERYTHING?" He demanded.  
  
"Why don't you do me a favor, Trap, and get the hell out of my life and stay out of it! I don't need this! Not today!" She cried.  
  
"Are you going to keep this guy in the dark forever? By the way, what's his name?" Trap asked.  
  
"Mike," Jill quietly said.  
  
"So, are you going to keep Mike in the dark forever?" He asked again.  
  
"Trap, I just want to forget that part of my life. Can't I do that without you and Jimmy and everybody else wanting to know everything?" She pleaded.  
  
"Baby girl, that's not going to happen. You can put it behind you, but that's not going to happen as long as you refuse to talk about it. Jimmy tells me that this Mike's a good person and that he's real good to you. Do you love him?" Trap asked, afraid to hear her answer.  
  
"I want to love him, but I'm afraid. Trap, if I tell him about California, I'm going to lose him. If I tell him about my father, the same thing. Don't you see? I'm risking everything!" She said, walking over and sitting down on the sofa.  
  
"Jill, if he's the kind of person that Jimmy says he is, I don't think you're going to lose him. If you don't tell him or somebody, it's always going to cast a giant shadow over you," he said, sitting beside her.  
  
"I can't tell him, Trap. Not yet. Promise me you won't say anything. Please?" She pleaded with him as he reluctantly nodded.  
  
"I won't, but I think you should. You should tell him everything. Tell him how you ended up with Cleve and about how I came to be in the picture, too," he said as she looked at him.  
  
"I'm just tired of being scared and having to look over my shoulder all the time," she said tearfully.  
  
After he finished his work on base, Mike stopped at the store to pick up some things for dinner. He became worried when he pulled up and saw an unfamiliar red Mustang parked in front of the trailer beside Jill's beat up VW Beetle. He got out of the car and removed the bags from the back seat as Jill came out of the house to help him.  
  
"Hi," he said, kissing her hello. "I see you've got company."  
  
"I've told you about Trap, right?" She asked as he nodded. "Well, guess who dropped by?"  
  
Trap stood up and walked over as Jill led Mike into the trailer. "Hi, you must be Mike. I'm T.R. Applegate," he said, holding his hand out as Mike set the bags down and shook it.  
  
"Trap, right?" Mike asked.  
  
"So, you've heard of me?" Trap said, looking toward Jill as she unloaded the grocery bags.  
  
"Yeah, I've heard your name batted around a time or two. I'm glad to finally meet you. I heard that you're the one who brought Jill back here after she..." Mike stopped as Jill looked at him.  
  
"...After I cut my wrists. We've all heard the stories. I'm going for a walk," she said, slamming out of the front door as Mike started to follow her.  
  
"Mike, don't! She pulls that number all the time. I brought some beer if you want one," Trap offered.  
  
"No, thanks. I brought wine to drink with dinner. Would you like to stay for dinner? I bought plenty," Mike said.  
  
"I'll leave that up to Jill and I'm pretty sure I know what her answer's going to be. My being here is upsetting to her and I apologize for that. My brother called me and told me he'd seen Cleve. I knew if my brother had seen him, then it was only a matter of time before he saw Jill. I knew what was going to happen if he did see her. But, I see I got here just a little too late," he said.  
  
"Trap, I've tried talking to Jill about him, but she won't tell me much. Jimmy told me that you were there. Is there anything that you can tell me? Any insight at all would be greatly appreciated," Mike pressed.  
  
"I can't, Mike. I promised Jill that I wouldn't. I did tell her that she needs to talk to you about him, but she's scared to, Mike. Please try to give her some time," Trap said.  
  
"Let me go outside and see if I can find her," Mike said, walking out of the front door.  
  
Jill was sitting in a lawn chair in the front yard, staring into space. Mike knelt down beside her chair and leaned his forehead against hers. She looked at him with huge brown eyes. He leaned back and brushed her hair from her face before kissing her.  
  
"Trap's being here frightens you, doesn't it?" He guessed.  
  
"He knows too much, Mike. You have to understand that I can't talk to you about any of this. Not yet," she told him.  
  
"I know that. Look, let's get through tonight. I'll start the grill and we'll eat. If you want me to, I'll ask Trap to leave. He's not going to stay if he upsets you," Mike promised her.  
  
"No, it's okay. Just don't leave me alone with him, okay?" She begged him.  
  
"Baby, did he hurt you, too?" Mike asked, worried.  
  
"No, he just makes everything come back. There are things that I want to forget, but nobody'll let me. My shrink won't let me, Jimmy won't let me and you won't let me," she said in a voice full of tears.  
  
"Baby, I don't know what it is you want to forget if you won't talk to me," he said, starting to feel troubled. They'd been making some headway in their relationship and now it all felt like it was falling apart.  
  
"Not today, Mike," She said as he nodded and kissed her once again.  
  
"I know. So, do you want to sit out here for a while and keep me company?" He asked as she smiled and nodded.  
  
Trap had been standing in the doorway watching Mike interact with her, moving out of the way when Mike came up to the door. He watched as Mike got the steaks out and began seasoning them.  
  
"Is she okay?" Trap asked.  
  
"I don't know. You and I need to talk later," Mike said, looking at him pointedly.  
  
Mike walked back outside to start the grill. After getting the grill ready, he came back inside and got the steaks. While he was barbecuing the steaks, he watched Jill. He wondered just what it was that she was afraid Trap was going to tell him. He felt like he was watching the recent progress he'd made slipping away. She was basically uncommunicative at dinner and as usual, she just picked at her food. Mike could see that he had to get rid of Trap before he upset her further. Things were about to get much worse.  
  
"Jill, I saw your grandfather a couple of weeks ago. He wants you to come up for Thanksgiving. He said he hasn't heard from you since the hospital called him," Trap said.  
  
"Is my father going to be there?" Jill asked fearfully as Mike stared at her.  
  
"I don't know. I haven't seen him in weeks," Trap admitted.  
  
"But, you have SEEN him?" Jill asked.  
  
"Yeah, Jill. My old man does business with him. You know that. Thanksgiving, Jill? Can you come or not?" Trap repeated, trying to get her back on topic.  
  
"Sure, tell him that as long as my father doesn't show up, I'll be there. I'm sure I'll get a higher approval rating with Mike than I ever did with Cleve," Jill said, draining her wine glass.  
  
"Cleve was a loser, Jill," Trap said in a tight voice.  
  
"I don't want to talk about Cleve, all right, Trap?" Jill said, getting agitated.  
  
"Trap, can we take a walk?" Mike said suddenly, standing up and motioning Trap toward the door.  
  
"Sure," Trap said, throwing his napkin on the table.  
  
"I'll be right back, Jill," Mike promised, as he walked outside with Trap. "Walk with me. I don't want Jill to hear this. Do you mind if I ask why you came over here today?"  
  
"I came to check on Jill. I was worried about what Cleve would do to her if he came around,'" Trap admitted.  
  
"Okay, you've done what you came here to do. You've seen Jill, you've assured yourself that she's in good hands. Now, it's time for you to get back into your car and leave," Mike said as Trap stopped and stared at him.  
  
"Mike, you don't understand! Jill isn't even supposed to be here! She's supposed to be in Huntington with her grandfather!" Trap said.  
  
"I know that. Look, I don't know what's going on here. Jill may not ever tell me. But, before this evening, I felt like I had some kind of trust building up. The wall Jill had erected around herself was starting to come down. At least it was until you showed up," Mike told the young man.  
  
"Mike, she's never going to completely trust you. Men have given Jill a raw deal her entire life. She has about a million issues that she needs to work through," Trap said.  
  
"She's told me that, too. Trap, why didn't Jill ever call the cops about Cleve?" Mike asked, curious.  
  
"Because his daddy has money and he had the local cops in his back pocket. They won't believe anything Jill says," Trap said, looking at the ground.  
  
"I love her, Trap. I'd marry her in a minute if she'd say yes," Mike admitted.  
  
"Mike, you need to know what you're letting yourself in for if you ever plan on marrying Jill. She has a ton of baggage. Anyway, we'd better get back to the trailer. If we're out here too long, she'll think I've broken my promise to her," Trap said, turning back toward the house.  
  
Trap left shortly after they got back to the house. After closing the door, Mike began helping Jill clean up.  
  
"What were you talking about out there?" Jill asked, scraping plates into the trashcan.  
  
"Nothing much. I just told him that I thought he was upsetting you and it was time for him to leave," Mike said, running water into the sink. "He didn't tell me anything about you, but I wish you would talk to me."  
  
"I can't. Not yet," she said.  
  
"But, someday?" He asked hopefully.  
  
"Someday I'll have to," she sighed.  
  
"What about your father?" Mike asked as Jill instantly stiffened up.  
  
"I NEVER want to talk about him!" Jill vowed.  
  
"Jill, I just want to understand why your going home for Thanksgiving dinner is dependant on whether he's going to be there or not!" Mike said, staring at Jill.  
  
"Because part of the reason that I'm so screwed up all started with him! Okay? I wish Trap had just let me die that day!" She said, throwing her dishtowel on the counter and walking over to sit on the sofa.  
  
Mike worried when Jill began talking like this. Jimmy had once told him that when Trap had first brought Jill back to Alabama, she'd talked about suicide all of the time. When she'd started seeing Mike, the suicide talk had tapered off. When she began talking like this, she became unapproachable. There was no talking to her or talking to her. Mike walked into the living room and sat down beside her.  
  
"You never told me that Trap was the one who saved you. I just assumed he brought you back here because he was there at the time," Mike said.  
  
"I don't want to talk about that day. Mike, you can join me for Thanksgiving, can't you? I mean, I didn't mean to assume anything," she stammered.  
  
"Of course, I'll go with you. I wouldn't miss it," he smiled.  
  
"I just thought maybe you'd want to go home to be with your family," she told him.  
  
"Hey, I'm not going to fly cross country for just a couple of days. I'll see them at Christmas. Are you going to be okay here tonight? I can stay if you want," he said as she shook her head.  
  
"No, I'll be okay," she said as he leaned over to kiss her.  
  
"Okay. I'll pick you up early tomorrow and we'll spend the day together. I'll even cook you breakfast at my place," he grinned.  
  
"You're not mad at me?" She asked, frightened.  
  
"No, baby, I'm not mad at you. You just confuse me from time to time. I'll see you in the morning," he said, getting up and walking toward the door.  
  
Mike stopped by the bar one afternoon about a week before Thanksgiving. Jill had been increasingly on edge for the last several days and Mike came in wondering if Jimmy knew anything.  
  
"I sent Jill to get some towels washed at the Laundromat. She should be back in an hour or so," Jimmy said when Mike walked in.  
  
"I wasn't looking for Jill. I was hoping we could talk," Mike explained as he sat at the bar.  
  
"About what?" Jimmy asked.  
  
"Has Jill seemed jumpy to you in the last several days?" Mike asked as Jimmy nodded.  
  
"If you mean more so than usual, I'd say yes. She did tell me that you guys were going down to Huntington for Thanksgiving dinner. I have to tell you that might not be a good idea," Jimmy advised.  
  
"Why? Going there was Jill's idea, not mine," Mike told him.  
  
"Well, don't be surprised if she backs out at the last minute," Jimmy said.  
  
"Am I ever going to understand what's going on with her?" Mike asked.  
  
"I don't know. One day, you and I'll talk, but not today. I want her to talk to you first," Jimmy said.  
  
"You know what's going on with her, don't you?" Mike guessed.  
  
"Mike, believe me, I know more about her than I want to know," Jimmy whispered sadly.  
  
Mike left the bar and went home, making a decision to himself that things were going to have to come to a head and soon. He had to find out what was going on in order to help Jill move past it.  
  
TO BE CONTINUED... 


	3. Meeting With Destiny: Chapter Three

DISCLAIMER: See Chapter One for disclaimer  
  
TITLE: Meeting With Destiny - Chapter Three  
  
Chapter Three: Sometimes The Truth Really Can Set You Free  
  
The Monday before Thanksgiving, Jill had an appointment with her psychiatrist, Dr. Liz Todd. She was standing at the window staring out at the cloudy day, while Dr. Todd sat in her leather chair, asking Jill questions and taking notes. In the three months that Jill had been seeing the psychiatrist, they hadn't made a great deal of progress. And, the progress they had made had been on a two-steps forward, three steps back variety. The last few visits, they had discussed Mike. Dr. Todd had learned that was one subject that Jill didn't seem to mind talking about.  
  
"Tell me what you're going to do for Thanksgiving," Dr. Todd opened, figuring the holidays were a good place to start the session for today.  
  
"I'm supposed to go to my grandfather's and participate in the family holiday from hell," Jill replied.  
  
"You still haven't talked to your grandfather about your suicide attempt?" Dr. Todd surmised.  
  
"Why? It's so pointless," Jill said, still staring out the window.  
  
"What's Mike going to be doing for Thanksgiving?" Dr. Todd asked, noting the first smile she'd seen on Jill's face so far that afternoon.  
  
"He's going to go to Huntington with me," Jill said, turning around.  
  
"You seem happy about that. Let's talk about Mike for a few minutes. Have you talked to him about what happened with Cleve?" The doctor asked.  
  
"I'm afraid to," she admitted.  
  
"What do you think about when Mike isn't around?" The doctor asked.  
  
"Lately, he's all I think about. I only feel complete when I'm with him," Jill smiled.  
  
"So, what kind of things do you think about when he isn't around?" The doctor pressed.  
  
"It's hard to explain. I wonder what it would be like to take things to the next step," she said, starting to blush.  
  
"So, you haven't had sex with him?" The doctor guessed.  
  
"No, not yet. Sometimes, I think that I'd like to take that step, but then I get scared and find myself holding back," Jill sighed, pulling on the Venetian blind cord.  
  
"Is Mike pushing you to take the next step?" The doctor asked.  
  
"No, he's been really sweet. I just wonder how long he's going to be willing to wait before he decides he's had enough and moves on to someone who'll be more willing to give him what he wants," Jill said.  
  
"Jill, there are some men in this world who are gentlemen. If he loves you like you think he does, I think he'll wait for you to decide you're ready. Are you still writing your thoughts down?" The doctor asked.  
  
"Yeah, when I remember," she said.  
  
"You need to open the door a little bit more and start letting him in, Jill. Try doing that and I'll see you after the holidays," the doctor said, standing up.  
  
Thanksgiving morning dawned chilly and wet. The weather had been this way all week, but today was by far the worst. The weathermen were forecasting thunderstorms for that evening, something that filled Jill with dread. She had an intense fear of thunderstorms. She was already on edge when Mike called saying he was on his way to pick her up. When he arrived 45 minutes later, Jill walked outside wearing her usual wardrobe of jeans and tee shirt. She had on a long sleeved flannel shirt over the tee shirt.  
  
"Are you okay?" Mike asked as she got into the passenger seat and shut the door.  
  
"Yeah, I just wish it was tonight already," she signed heavily.  
  
"You know, we don't have to do this. Your Uncle Ray and Aunt Letty told us that we're more than welcome to have dinner with them," Mike said, putting the car in gear.  
  
"Yeah, we do have to do this. I promised the old man and I've never been able to break a promise to him. I'll be okay. Really," she said, forcing a smile, as Mike looked skeptical.  
  
"I wish I believed that. Is Trap going to be there?" Mike asked.  
  
"I don't know. Maybe. His mother and stepfather live up the road from my grandfather. I know he was going to go to Pensacola to visit his father, but you never know with Trap," Jill said.  
  
"He'll have time for dinner with both parent's?" Mike asked, surprised.  
  
"Sure, Pensacola is only about two hours from my grandfather's. Besides, Trap's like me, he likes to drive fast. Once we made the trip in an hour and 39 minutes," Jill said, grinning as Mike rolled his eyes.  
  
"Were you being chased by state troopers?" Mike asked.  
  
"I like to drive fast," Jill said, a fact Mike was already too aware of.  
  
"I know, that's why I'm driving today. Anyway, I brought a thermos with some coffee," he said, pointing to the console.  
  
"Great! Now, I can be depressed and wired!" She said.  
  
It was a short drive to Huntington. Jill directed him down a rutted and muddy road to her grandfather's farm. She showed him a place where he could park the car as she scanned the cars that were already parked. Mike didn't know who she was looking for and he didn't ask. He got out of the car and walked around to open the door for Jill, taking her hand as an older man came walking up to the front gate. He was tall, with stark white hair and Jill's brown eyes.  
  
"Poppy, this is my friend, Mike Danko. Mike, this is my grandfather, Will Kingston," Jill said, introducing the two men.  
  
"I'm pleased to meet you, sir," Mike said, shaking the man's hand.  
  
"Frankly, I'm surprised that Jilly Kate could remember how to get here. Well, come on, you two. Your aunts have fixed breakfast," he said, leading the way toward the house as Jill followed with Mike in tow.  
  
After greeting everybody, Jill fixed a cup of coffee while Mike fixed him a plate. The one thing that Jill had learned about Mike was the fact that he was always hungry. She then led him out to the screened in back porch where several relatives came outside out of curiosity to see whom Jill had brought out to the farm. She stole some bacon off of his plate as the parade of relatives introduced themselves to Mike. Her grandfather came outside with a cup of coffee in his hand and sat down across from Mike, staring at him pointedly.  
  
"So, what do you do for a living? When Jill told me she was bringing somebody, I was afraid it was going to be that Andrews boy. He isn't welcome here," he told Mike.  
  
"I'm in the Army, sir," Mike answered politely.  
  
"The Army, huh? Vietnam?" He asked.  
  
"I've already been, twice. I think I'd like to stick around here for a while. I like the country," Mike said, looking at Jill and smiling.  
  
"Jill, your taste has definitely improved. Enjoy your visit," he said, getting up and walking back to the house.  
  
"Thank you, sir. He doesn't seem like such a bad guy, Jill," Mike said, taking a bite of his biscuit.  
  
"Yeah, he's a real prince," she said sarcastically.  
  
"You know, Jill, someday is approaching real fast," Mike said in a tight voice.  
  
"Don't start on me, Mike. Not today. And, do me a favor. Don't leave me alone with these people, not for a second," she begged him.  
  
"What if I have to go to the bathroom?" He smiled, trying to lighten her mood.  
  
"You know what I mean!" She hissed.  
  
"I won't leave you, I promise. Are you going to eat anymore?" He asked, standing up.  
  
"No, I'm done," she said as he took his plate into the house.  
  
After dinner, Jill helped her aunts and cousins clean up. Mike sat in the living room watching Jill from where he sat. He saw her getting agitated when one of her aunts starting making comments about Cleve. He decided that she needed rescuing. He walked into the kitchen and grabbed her by the hand.  
  
"I'm going to borrow Jill for a while, ladies," he told them.  
  
"Go ahead. There ain't room in here for all of us, anyway," one of the women said.  
  
"I'm a city boy. I've never been on a farm before. I'm going to get Jill to give me the grand tour," he smiled as Jill glared at him.  
  
"Make sure that tour includes the barn, Jill," one of the cousins snickered.  
  
"Come on, ignore her," he said, pulling her out onto the front porch. Once there, he pulled her close and kissed her. "You looked like you needed a knight in shining armor."  
  
"Thanks," she said, leaning into his embrace.  
  
"I'm serious about the tour, though. Show me around," he said, smiling at her.  
  
"Mike, it's so wet and nasty out here. We can come back on a nice day when all of these people aren't around," she complained.  
  
"No, this is perfect because we'll be alone. That means, no interruptions," he said as he kissed her again.  
  
Mike took her hand and they began walking. He couldn't believe that she was so hesitant to do this when wandering was her favorite thing to do. This looked like the perfect place to go wandering. She took him out to a field that was bordered on one side by a low rock wall. Climbing up on it, she took his hand and began walking along the top of it. Mike loved this place. It was so quiet that you could hear the drizzle falling on the stubbly brown field.  
  
"When I was a kid, this wall used to border the entire property. I used to walk the entire length of it without ever touching the ground. I used to pretend I was a tightrope walker. Hell, I used to pretend I was anything or anyplace but her," she sighed sadly.  
  
"This looks like a great place to grow up," Mike observed.  
  
"Well, it wasn't. My grandfather used to work me like a rented mule or a slave, take your pick," Jill said.  
  
"Was California any better?" He asked.  
  
"No, it was just different," she said. She looked down at Mike strangely when he tightened his hold on her hand. "Mike, I'm okay. I've never fallen off of this wall in my life and even if I did, I wouldn't fall far enough to get hurt."  
  
"Jill, I love you," he suddenly said, as Jill looked at him in pure terror.  
  
"Don't tell me that! You don't even know me! If you knew even one of the stories about me, you'd drop me in a heartbeat!" She yelled, yanking her hand violently out of his grasp.  
  
"You're so wrong about that. I know you better than you think I do. I know that there's something eating at you. Something that you're afraid to share. Something that you think is going to make me hate you. Jill, don't you understand by now that I could never hate you? I don't understand a lot of what I'm feeling. I've had a lot of girlfriends and I've even been in love a time or two, but I've never felt anything like this. I want to take care of you. I want to help you through whatever it is that's trying to destroy you. I love you. Probably too much for both of us," he told her.  
  
Jill wrapped her arms around herself, not sure if she was chilled from being outdoors or from what Mike had just told her. She was scared to have him love her, even though she'd known he was going to say the words sooner or later. Mike lifted her off of the wall and wrapped his arms around her, holding her close.  
  
"You're cold. Come on, let's go back to the house," Mike said, taking her hand.  
  
"Wait. Mike, I want to tell you some of these things. I want to tell you before you hear them from somebody else, but, there's not a one of them that's good," she said.  
  
"I know. If there were any good stories, you would've told me by now, right?" He smiled as she nodded. "Come on, let's go back."  
  
Trap's red Mustang was parked by the house when they walked back. Trap was out front drinking a beer when Mike and Jill approached.  
  
"Jill, you've got a phone call," her grandfather called, stepping out onto the front porch.  
  
"Who is it?" Jill asked.  
  
"Do I look like a secretary to you?" The old man asked harshly as Jill sighed.  
  
"I'm glad you guys made it out here," Trap said, handing Mike a beer after Jill and her grandfather walked inside.  
  
"Trap, Jimmy told me that you were with Jill in California. I need to know something about what happened out there," Mike said, popping the top off of his beer can.  
  
"I can tell you what I know, which is just what I heard and saw, which was plenty. Cleve was older than we were. He wasn't around much when we were kids, then he suddenly reappeared when she was 14 and I was 16. Jill and I thought he'd invented the moon, that's how cool we thought he was. He started plying us with beer and pot, but I started worrying after a while. In fact, I stopped hanging around him," Trap said.  
  
"Why?" Mike asked.  
  
"Like I said, we were 14 and 16 years old. Neither one of us knew anything. He started putting the moves on Jill. He was pretty obsessed with her. Jill's grandfather's a good man, Mike, but he's strict. He has a farm to run and he fully expected Jill's help to run it. I also think he saw what was going on with Cleve. Cleve put on a good front around the old man, but everybody could see right through him like he was made of glass. Poppy told Jill he wanted her to stay away from Cleve or he was going to put the law on him, which just pushed Cleve closer to Cleve and further away from family. I started to get scared that he was going to get her pregnant," Trap said in a quiet voice.  
  
"He started having sex with her while she was still on the farm?" Mike asked incredulously.  
  
"It was the only way he could gain total control of Jill. Before that, she was torn between wanting to be with him and wanting to obey the old man. One day, she found me and told me that he'd lured her out behind the barn. I didn't have to hear the rest. What I remember most clearly was the fact that she didn't understand why they made such a big deal about sex in the romance novels when it had hurt like hell," Trap remembered.  
  
"What did you tell her?" Mike asked.  
  
"Mike, I'm not much older than she is. I didn't know anything about sex. I mean, I knew the basics, but not much else. I told her to stay away from him, that it wasn't right for a grown man to be having sex with a 14-year-old girl. That's when she told me that she was going to go to California with him. He'd told her that he loved her. That's all she needed to hear. I told her that her grandfather wasn't about to let her run off to California and she told me that she had no intention of telling him, that she was just going to run away," Trap said.  
  
"So, how did you end up going?" Mike asked.  
  
"I didn't trust him. I told him that if he was going to California, I was going, too," Trap said.  
  
"He didn't care?" Mike asked.  
  
"He wasn't paying the bills. He didn't care who came and went in that house and believe me, I've seen circus freaks that were less strange than some of the people who stayed in that house. He started beating Jill almost as soon as we got to L.A. I'm honestly surprised that he didn't kill her. He used to carry this club that was about six feet long and about seven or eight inches around. That's what he'd hit her with. Either that or a leather strap. She has scars all over her back from that club. He knocked her in the swimming pool one day. If I hadn't jumped in after her, she would've drowned. Ever since then, she's been terrified of water that she can't stand up in. But, by that time, I think Jill was hoping that he would kill her, just to get it over with," Trap said.  
  
"Trap, where were her parent's? Why was she living here?" Mike wanted to know.  
  
"Mike, her parent's are a touchy subject that you'd best take up with her. I've probably said too much already," Trap said.  
  
"Well, you solved a few mysteries, anyway. Let me go inside and check on her," Mike said, throwing his beer can in a trashcan.  
  
"Mike?" Trap called after him.  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"Just be patient with her. I know she's frustrating at times, but she needs you," Trap said as Mike smiled.  
  
"Thanks."  
  
"Mike, are you ready to go?" Jill asked as she stormed out of the house.  
  
"Anytime you are," Mike said, looking at Trap, who shrugged. "Aren't you going to say goodbye to your grandfather?"  
  
"I have nothing to say to him!" Jill shouted, moving so fast Mike could barely keep up with her.  
  
"Would you like to tell me who was on the phone?" Mike asked, almost running.  
  
"My father!" Jill said, stopping and turning to face Mike. "Can we go now?"  
  
The rain that had been falling off and on all day came down harder as they drove toward Anniston. Jill jumped as she heard the rumble of thunder in the distance. Instead of going toward the trailer, Mike stayed on the highway and headed toward the base.  
  
"Where are we going?" Jill asked, looking at Mike.  
  
"I thought we could go to my place for a while, then I'll take you home, okay?" He asked as she nodded.  
  
When they got to Mike's quarters, he led her inside and went to the kitchen while she sat on his sofa watching him.  
  
"Do you want some coffee?" Mike asked as she shook her head.  
  
"No, I'll be up all night," she said.  
  
"Jill, do you trust me?" He asked suddenly.  
  
"I don't trust anybody," she admitted honestly. "It's someday, isn't it?"  
  
He looked over at her and saw she was getting ready to bolt and run. He could tell by her body language. She was sitting on the edge of the sofa, poised to run for the door at a moment's notice. Mike tried to think. So much had happened today that they were both on sensory overload. He walked over and knelt in front of her.  
  
"I have to know something," he said, taking both of her hands in his and squeezing. "Where are your parent's?"  
  
"I was really hoping you'd want to know about California first! That's easier to talk about than them! I don't want to talk about them! Not now, not ever!" She cried, trying to break free from his grasp.  
  
"Baby, listen to me. You're going to find out that there's nothing so bad in this world that we can't work out together, but you have to learn to trust me," he said, tilting her chin up so that she was looking at him.  
  
"If I tell you, you're going to hate me!" She sobbed as he felt like kicking himself. The last thing he wanted to do was cause her this much pain.  
  
"I told you already that I could never hate you," he gently kissed her fingers. "I love you. Please let me in."  
  
"My parent's gave me over to my grandparents to raise when I was five years old. It had something to do with them getting divorced. By the time I was seven years old, I was running the household after my grandmother died. What kind of a man makes a seven year old do women's work? It wasn't like there weren't women around! The summer that I turned 11, my father remarried and asked to see me. I was so excited, Mike. I mean, I'd never been anywhere outside of Birmingham. I'd been there a few days when my stepmother went out on errands one afternoon and left me alone with my father. He called me into the study and told me he had something to show me," Jill stopped to catch her breath as tears began running down her face.  
  
Mike swallowed, beginning to feel slightly sick. He'd suspected something like this all along, but hearing it was worse than anything his imagination could've prepared him for. Suddenly, Jill jumped up and began frantically pacing around the small apartment, pounding her fist into her hand. He got up and pulled her into his arms to stop her frantic pacing.  
  
"It's going to be okay. Did he hurt you?" He asked, stroking her hair.  
  
"No, he wanted me to touch him, but I managed to get away from him and locked myself in my room. I told my stepmother when she got home. She slapped me and called me a little whore, and then she called my grandfather and told him. My father got into the act and demanded to know what I was being taught on that farm. My grandfather told them to send me home, which they did the next morning. Poppy didn't say a word to me the whole way back to the farm, but as soon as we got there, he sent me out to the woodshed and beat me with a razor strop until I couldn't sit down," Jill sobbed.  
  
"Didn't anybody believe you?" Mike asked.  
  
"No. He made sure everybody heard my father's version and that's gospel as far as the family's concerned. Nobody even talks about it, anymore. The only people who know my side are my Uncle Ray and his family and Trap. At least they believe me. Can you please take me home now?" She begged as he got his keys.  
  
By the time they got to the trailer, the rain was starting to come down in buckets, accompanied by thunder and lightning. They both sat in the car outside the trailer waiting for it to stop.  
  
"I hate thunderstorms," Jill said as a boom of thunder shook the car. "They scare me."  
  
"Why? Another one of your secrets?" Mike asked.  
  
"Mike, I have reasons for my secrets," she said shortly.  
  
"I know, I'm sorry. Well, look, we have two choices here. We can either sit here and wait for the rain to stop or we can go back to my place," he said, looking over at her.  
  
Jill looked over at him. She had a feeling that she knew where things were going to go if she went back to his place with him. "Let's go back to your place," she said as Mike put the car in gear and headed back down the road.  
  
By the time they walked back into Mike's BOQ they were both soaking wet and shivering. "Wait here! I'll get some towels!" Mike told her as he left the room. "Come on back here!" He called out a minute later.  
  
Jill shyly walked through the living room into his bedroom, feeling like she was entering some kind of inner sanctum. His bedroom was as neatly kept as the rest of his quarters.  
  
"You keep a cleaner house than I do," Jill observed as Mike came out of the bathroom with two large bath towels.  
  
"I have to. I get inspected once a month," he told her as he walked over and began trying to dry her off. Laughing at his fumbled attempts, she took the other towel and reached up to begin drying him off. She suddenly stopped when he leaned down and kissed her. "Jill, will you stay with me tonight?" He whispered.  
  
"After that story I just told you, you still want to have sex with me?" She asked, puzzled.  
  
"No, I don't want to have sex with you," he smiled at the look of confusion on her face. "I want to make love to you. There's a big difference. I want to hold you in my arms and wake up with you beside me tomorrow morning."  
  
"Mike, sometimes I have screaming nightmares," Jill admitted fearfully.  
  
"That's okay. I'll be right beside you to hold you tight when you wake up screaming," he told her.  
  
"I also have a problem with sex. I don't...I mean, I've never..." she said, blushing furiously as Mike picked up what she was trying to say.  
  
"It's okay. I get the general idea. We'll work on that. See, I've been told that I have what are known as roamin' hands and rushin' fingers," he joked as Jill blushed an even deeper shade of red. "What's important is that you know what goes where and why, right?"  
  
"Yes, but..." she stammered.  
"Then, it's going to be okay. I'm not going to force you to do something that you're not ready for. If you don't want to stay, just say the word and I'll take you home right now," he promised her.  
  
She stood there watching Mike's blue-green eyes for what seemed an eternity. She was scared that sex with Mike was going to be a repeat of all the nights with Cleve, but as she'd told her shrink, there was a part of her deep inside that wanted this. She slowly traced his jaw line with her fingertips before pulling his head down to kiss him.  
  
"I want to stay, Mike," she breathed.  
  
Mike found it difficult to breathe as he once again pulled her close and kissed her, dropping the towel he'd been holding to the floor. His heart was hammering in his chest as he mentally willed himself to take things slow. He pushed back her damp hair as he bent down to gently kiss and nibble on her neck, smiling at her quick intake of breath. He took a couple of steps back until he felt his knees touch the edge of his bed before pulling her down beside him. He propped himself up on one elbow so he could look down at her.  
  
She looked up at him and smiled at the look in his eyes before reaching up and running a hand through his still slightly damp hair. Bending down, he gently kissed each of her eyelids before once again capturing her lips with his own, all the while lightly skimming his hand down the front of her body through her clothes. He unbuttoned the cuffs on her flannel shirt before removing it with help from Jill.  
  
Jill gasped as Mike slid his hand under her tee shirt, lightly resting it on her bare stomach before moving it slowly upward to caress her breasts through her bra, feeling her nipples instantly harden under his touch. She sat up as Mike raised the shirt over her head, letting it drop to the floor with her other shirt before reaching behind to unhook her bra and removing it, as well.  
  
"You are so beautiful," he breathed as he once again kissed her mouth, before kissing his way down her body, stopping to take her nipple into his mouth, teasing it even further with his lips and tongue.  
  
Jill arched her back and pressed Mike's head closer to her breast, as he continued to kiss and nibble on her breasts before moving up to kiss her once again, caressing her breasts with his fingers before letting them travel down to the top of her jeans. He unbuttoned and unzipped them before sitting up and pulling them slowly down her legs, leaving her clad only in her panties.  
  
Jill's heart was pounding like a jackhammer as Mike removed her panties and began to once again kiss his way down her body, all the while caressing her hips and the insides of her thighs. She stopped him before he moved down any further.  
  
"No, Mike," she gasped, pulling him back up to her.  
"Shh! It's okay," he reassured her as he kissed her once again.  
  
She smiled as she unbuttoned his shirt and slipped it off his shoulders, running her hands over his bare chest. She could feel his erection straining against the fly of his jeans, but decided she wanted to take things as slowly with him as he had with her, for which she was grateful.  
  
Mike lay down on the bed and let Jill explore his body, trying to think of anything that would help him maintain some kind of control over his increasing state of arousal. He almost lost every ounce of control he had when she bent down to kiss his chest. She smiled when she heard his low groan of pleasure. Easing her hand down, she unbuttoned the top of his jeans and slid the zipper down carefully. Mike looked at her with eyes full of passion when she didn't precede any further.  
  
"What's wrong?" He whispered. "It's okay, baby."  
  
He sat up and removed his boxers and jeans, kicking them to one side before taking her hand and placing it on his engorged member, guiding her in the way he wanted to be touched. She couldn't believe how hot and hard he felt in the palm of her hand. He pulled her close and kissed her again, once again teasing her flesh with his fingers. She fought him when he attempted to push her head down toward his groin.  
  
"No, Mike, no. I..." she stammered as he pulled her back into his arms.  
  
"It's okay. I want you so badly," he whispered, laying her down and covering her body with his own. She sighed as he slowly entered her, a sigh that soon turned to cries of passion as he began to move, slowly at first, then faster as she picked up his rhythm. She wrapped her legs around him and clutched him to her tightly as they both moved toward a common goal. Their hands and lips seemed to be everywhere, as they got closer to a glorious release. Jill cried out Mike's name as the universe seemed to explode within her. Hearing her achieve her release was all it took for Mike to explode, as well. He collapsed on her shoulder, gasping for breath as she stroked his back. After several minutes, he slowly moved off of her and moved to one side, pulling her into his embrace.  
  
"Mike, I'm sorry about the oral sex thing. Cleve would make me do that after he'd been drinking or doing coke and it would take him forever to come. Give me time on that one, okay?" She asked as he cuddled her closer.  
  
"It's okay. I already told you that I'm not going to force you to do anything you don't want to do," he kissed her. "So, do you regret staying?"  
  
"No, I was scared at first, though. Sex with Cleve always used to hurt. I thought that there was something wrong with me," she said in a small voice.  
  
"And, now you know that there wasn't," he said as she nodded.  
  
"Also, I don't like to sleep close. It makes me feel trapped, so when I move later, I just want you to know that it's not you, it's me," she explained as he nodded.  
  
"Okay. I love you," he said, running his hands down her body once again.  
  
"You recover quickly," she teased, feeling him grow hard against her bare leg.  
  
"I have lots of time to make up for," he said, once again covering her body with his own.  
  
Jill lay in his arms afterward, watching the pattern of rain on the window. She jumped as a boom of thunder shook the apartment.  
  
"It's okay, it's only the storm," Mike muttered sleepily, tightening his arms around her.  
  
He woke up a few hours later to find his arms empty. When he reached over to pull Jill closer to him, she stiffened and pulled away. He propped himself up on one elbow and looked over at her as she slept, soon to be a favorite pastime of his. There was something vulnerable looking about her as she slept, like she needed to be protected. Looking at her bare upper back, Mike could discern some of the scars Trap had told him about the day before. He wondered what she'd meant about sex with Cleve always being painful. He figured it was just one more thing he was going to have to find out about.  
  
When Jill woke up the next morning, the sun was starting to shine through the window. She was confused for a minute until she remembered where she was and smiled, before rolling over and reaching for Mike, only to find his side of the bed empty. She sat up and ran a hand through her tangled, long hair, wondering where her clothes were. Now that it was light, she felt self-conscious.  
  
"Good morning," Mike smiled at her from the bedroom doorway, wearing nothing but a towel around his waist. He lay across the bed and pulled her into his arms, kissing her hungrily as he pulled the sheet away, sending her senses reeling with his exploring hands.  
  
"You're up early," she remarked as he nibbled on her neck.  
  
"Well, I waited for you to wake up, but I finally just decided to leave you some hot water instead," he said, brushing her hair away from her face.  
  
"Thanks," she smiled as he resumed his exploration of her body. "Mike? Michael?" She poked him in the chest to get his attention. "Where are my clothes?"  
  
"You want to know where your clothes are now?" He asked as she nodded. "I folded them and put them on the chair over there," he pointed as he moved down to kiss and caress her breasts, smiling at her sigh of pleasure.  
  
It was at that moment that the phone rang, ruining the moment. He groaned as he sat up and snatched up the receiver. "Hello?" He barked into the phone.  
"Mike, this is Jimmy. Have you seen Jill? I went by the trailer and her car's there, but she didn't answer the door," Jimmy's voice came over the line.  
  
"Jill's here with me, Jimmy. Do you want to talk to her?" He asked, as Jill shook her head no.  
  
She continued glaring at Mike as she took the receiver. "Hello?"  
  
"Hi, how'd it go yesterday?" He asked.  
  
"I survived," Jill answered nonchalantly.  
  
"You must've gotten up early this morning if you're already with Mike, or is there something you want to share with me?" Jimmy asked curiously.  
  
"Who are you, my father?" Jill asked sharply.  
  
"I'm sorry, I just don't want you to get hurt," Jimmy said apologetically.  
  
"I'm okay, Jimmy. Listen, if I don't see you today, I'll see you in the morning when I come in," she said, anxious to get him off the phone.  
  
"Okay, I'll talk to you later," he said, hanging up the phone.  
  
"Great! Now everybody in town's going to know we're having sex," Jill said, hanging up the phone.  
  
"What's he going to do, take out an ad?" Mike asked, reaching for her.  
  
"It wouldn't surprise me. Can you do me a favor and bring me my clothes? You're wearing more than I am at the moment," she said.  
  
"Jill, it's just you and me. What's the big deal?" He asked, kissing her bare shoulder.  
  
"Mike, please?" She begged, trying to ignore the still new sensations Mike was creating in her body.  
  
"Okay, but if I bring them, you're not going to pull a bolt and run on me, are you?" He asked, reluctantly releasing her and climbing off of the bed.  
  
"No, but I do want to go home and put on clean clothes. When do you have to go back on duty?" She asked as he handed her clothes to her.  
  
"Not until Monday. Do you want to do something special today?" He asked with a gleam in his eye.  
  
"No, I just want to be with you," she said pulling him back toward her.  
  
"We can do that," he said, slowly pulling the sheet off of her body.  
  
When Jill went into the bar the next morning, Jimmy was busy sweeping the floor. He barely spoke to her as she tied on her apron.  
  
"What crawled up you and died?" She demanded midway through the morning.  
  
"Excuse me?" Jimmy asked, startled.  
  
"What're you so pissed off about?" She asked.  
  
"I'm not pissed off. I was just a little surprised to find you at Mike's yesterday morning," he said quietly.  
  
"Jimmy, I'm confused. You're the one who wanted me to see Mike in the first place," she reminded him.  
  
"Yeah, I wanted you to see him, not start sleeping with him! You've only known him a few months," he said, going behind the bar and pouring a cup of coffee.  
  
"Jimmy, how stupid are you? He's a man! Being a man yourself, you know how you guys act! You had to know that sooner or later sex was going to enter the picture. Besides, I've learned more about Mike in three months than I did about Cleve in five years," she said.  
  
"Speaking of Cleve, you haven't told him anything, have you?" Jimmy asked.  
  
"What're you talking about?" Jill asked.  
  
"I'm talking about California, Jill! We talked about this when you came back!" Jimmy exclaimed.  
  
"Are you going to tell him?" Jill asked.  
  
"I'm going to do what I have to do," Jimmy said.  
  
"I wish you wouldn't do this to me," she said.  
  
"Like I told you once before, I'm not doing anything to you, Jill, that you aren't already doing to yourself," he said, rinsing out his coffee cup and going back to his office, firmly closing the door behind him.  
  
Over the next couple of weeks, Mike and Jill spent more and more time together, until eventually he was staying at the trailer most of the time. He could see how upset she was becoming over Jimmy's increasing hostility, but she still refused to tell him what it was Trap and Jimmy had discussed. She didn't realize it, but Jimmy was about to force her hand. She was making plans to drive to Athens, Georgia, to go Christmas shopping with her stepsister.  
  
"How far away is Athens?" Mike asked, curiously.  
  
"About 200 miles. I'll be back in the evening. Man, it was cold in the bar today," Jill remarked as Mike looked at her.  
  
"Way? Is the heater broken?" He asked.  
  
"No, not literally cold," she explained as Mike sighed and nodded.  
  
"Babe, do you want me to talk to Jimmy?" He asked, rubbing her shoulders as she leaned against him.  
  
"No, things'll work out eventually. I just don't know what he wants from me," she said, going into the kitchen to start dinner.  
  
Since Jill was going to be out of town the next day, Mike decided to take the opportunity to talk to Jimmy, anyway. He didn't like Jill being so upset. Jimmy was sitting at the bar when Mike walked in.  
  
"Jill isn't here, but I imagine that you already know that," Jimmy said, looking up from the glasses he was washing.  
  
"Yeah, I already know that. I was hoping we could talk," Mike said, sitting down at the bar.  
  
"We could, but the person you should really be talking to is in Athens for the day," Jimmy said.  
  
"Okay, Jimmy. I'll bite. What is it that Jill and I should be talking about?" Mike asked, in no mood to play mind games.  
  
"I assume that you and Jill are having sex."  
  
"Jill and I make love, Jimmy. There's a big difference," Mike said in irritation.  
  
"I'm a married man, Mike! I know there's a difference! Has Jill talked to you at all, Mike? About anything?" Jimmy asked.  
  
"Jill told me what her old man tried to do to her," Mike admitted.  
  
"I'm not talking about her old man, although he probably plays a role in all of this. The day Trap dropped her off at my folk's house, I met him in town and talked to him. He told me more than I ever wanted hear about what happened in that house in California. He told me that his room was down the hall from Jill and Cleve's. He said he used to hear Jill every night, screaming and fighting with Cleve, screaming for him to please stop hurting her," Jimmy said, lowering his voice so his father wouldn't hear in the next room.  
  
Mike felt as if he was going to be sick. Things were beginning to make a lot more sense. He understood now what Jill had meant the first night they were together about sex with Cleve always hurting.  
  
"Trap told me that he tried more times than he cares to remember to get into the room, but Cleve kept the door bolted shut and he told Jill that if Trap ever got through that door, he'd take the gun he kept in the bedside drawer and shoot him dead," Jimmy continued.  
  
"The first time we slept together, she told me that she'd been scared because sex with Cleve had always hurt. I didn't understand it at the time and I didn't think to ask her what she was talking about. Does she know you know this?" He asked, already knowing the answer.  
  
"Yeah, she knows. I told her she needed to talk to you. When she asked me if I was going to tell you, I told her that I was going to do what I needed to do," Jimmy stated.  
  
"Is that why she cut her wrists?" Mike asked.  
  
"I don't know. Trap didn't say anything about that," Jimmy replied.  
  
"Well, I'd better get home. I have a feeling that it's not going to be a pleasant evening," Mike said, getting up and walking to the door.  
  
Before going home, Mike drove over to the high school and walked around the oval track, trying to clear his head. That morning, his C.O. had told him that he needed to sign up for some helicopter class that was scheduled to be held in Ft. Leonard Wood, Missouri, that spring. Once he'd looked forward to taking classes that would further his career, but since meeting Jill, he'd been thinking more and more of getting out. He wasn't sure how he was going to approach Jill with the news Jimmy had just laid on him. He'd known things had been bad with Cleve, but he'd had no idea just how bad it had been.  
  
In the short time they'd been sleeping together, Mike had found out two things about Jill. First, she was a restless sleeper. She tossed and turned all night long, often hitting or kicking him in the process. The second thing, which Jill had told him about, was she had incredibly vivid nightmares. Not a week had gone by that he hadn't had his sleep interrupted at least once by her screams in the middle of the night. He didn't know what she dreamed about because she could never put her terror into words. Most of the time, he could coax her back into bed and hold her close until she drifted back to sleep, but she wouldn't stay in his arms. He'd wake up the next morning and find her far on the other side of the bed, as close to the edge as she could possibly get without falling off.  
  
After walking around the track for a while, Mike headed home. The red VW was parked in front of the trailer and Jill was inside wrapping Christmas gifts when Mike walked in.  
  
"Do you like meat loaf?" She asked, kissing him.  
  
"Yeah, why?" He asked, sitting down and unlacing his boots.  
  
"Good, 'cause I wanted to make something that I didn't have to fuss over while I get this stuff wrapped. You have time to take a shower before dinner, if you want. You have clean stuff on the bed," she said, standing up and stretching. "You look tired. What did you do today?"  
  
"Well, today I got called to my commander's office and was told that I have to go to this stupid helicopter class, as if I don't already know how to fly the stupid things," he said, tugging his boots off.  
  
"Where's this class and how long do you have to go?" Jill asked, helping him with the other boot.  
  
"It's in Ft. Leonard Wood, Missouri, and it lasts 12 weeks," he said, watching her.  
  
"Twelve weeks?" She asked, in a tone that said he might as well have said 12 years.  
  
"Hey, don't worry about it. It's not a lifetime. Besides, a lot could happen between now and this spring. I could get promoted or I could decide to get out. But, there is something else we do need to talk about," he said, standing up and kissing her.  
  
"What?" She asked in a panic.  
  
"It'll keep until after dinner. I'm going to go take that shower," he said, kissing her once more before leaving the room.  
  
Jill was setting the table when Mike came out of the bathroom. "How was your trip to Athens?" He asked, grabbing a beer from the refrigerator.  
  
"Okay, I guess. My sisters want to go to Atlanta to visit my mother. I'm not sure I'm up to that. When do you leave to visit your parent's?" She asked, changing the subject.  
  
"I picked up my ticket this morning. I leave on the 23rd and return on the 29th. We'll have our celebration when I get back, okay?" He asked, grinning at her.  
  
"Okay," she said, smiling back. It still amazed her sometimes how much she loved him.  
  
"You know, Jill, if you don't want to visit your mother, all you have to do is say so," he said, fixing his plate.  
  
"Yeah, I know. It's just that I haven't spoken to her since..." she broke off as Mike nodded.  
  
"Since your suicide attempt?" He finished for her.  
  
"Yeah, she accused me of being melodramatic," she said, rolling her eyes.  
  
"Did she know Cleve?" Mike asked as Jill stiffened up.  
  
"She went to school with his father and uncles. Why?" Jill asked.  
  
"No reason, I was just wondering," he said, picking up his fork and eating.  
  
After dinner, he got up and helped Jill clear the table, drying the dishes while she washed them. She could tell that there was something on his mind.  
  
"I stopped in the bar today to see Jimmy," Mike began as Jill rinsed out the sink and placed the dishcloth over the faucet. "He told me what Trap had told him."  
  
"About what?" Jill asked in a shaky voice.  
  
"About you and Cleve," Mike said, watching her reaction.  
  
"What about me and Cleve?" She asked, her voice a shaky whisper.  
  
"Baby, why can't you talk to me about this?" He asked, putting his hands on her arms.  
  
"No!" She cried, shoving his hands away and walking into the living room and throwing herself down on the sofa, her hands shaking. Mike walked over and knelt in front of her, forcing her to look at him.  
  
"Do you trust me?" He gently asked her.  
  
"Mike, I can't talk to you about this," she said, tears falling down her face.  
  
"Why?" He asked.  
  
"Because it sounds like something from a science fiction novel. I think back on what I remember of it and I can't believe it was me," she told him.  
  
"Look, we need to talk about this. Because, if we don't, sooner or later, it's going to start causing some serious problems with our relationship. Listen to me. I believe that each person is responsible for the path that his or her lives take. Cleve led you down a path toward destruction, but it's up to you whether you stay on that path or change course," he said, taking her hand in his.  
  
"If I tell you, you're either going to hate me or you're not going to believe me," she said, squeezing his fingers.  
  
"Listen to me. I can never hate you. As for not believing you, I know that something awful happened to you while you were in that house. Jimmy told me what Trap had told him, but I need to hear it from you," he said as she took a deep breath.  
  
"At first, I thought Cleve really loved me. I mean, I was 14 years old and he was a lot older than me and a lot more sophisticated. He showed Trap and I how to roll and smoke grass. After a little while, Trap stopped hanging around with us. That was when Cleve started putting the moves on me. Then, one day, he told me that if I really loved him, I had to prove it. Mike, I didn't know anything about sex. I'd been raised around old Southern women who'd rather die than tell a child anything about men and women. I think it's only because they didn't know a lot themselves. Anyway, I thought I was going to die the first time because it hurt so badly. Then, I got scared that I was going to get pregnant. Cleve told me not to worry, he'd pull out in time. I had no idea what he was talking about, but it didn't take long for me to find out. Let's just say I'm glad I'm the one who did the laundry. I wouldn't let him touch me again. I was afraid we were going to get caught. By that time, I think my grandfather was starting to suspect something was going on. Anyway, the next thing I knew, Cleve was asking me to go to California with him. I'd never been anywhere outside of Birmingham and Atlanta. To me, California was the land of movie stars. I thought everything was going to be okay, especially since Cleve didn't seem to mind when Trap announced that he was going, too. When we got to California, that's when Cleve started beating me," Jill paused, taking a deep breath.  
  
"Why?" Mike asked.  
  
"Because I remembered how badly it'd hurt when he had sex with me before. I didn't want to go through that again. He started forcing me to have sex with him, usually more than once a night. The more I fought, the more brutal he became. It was as the fight turned him on. Trap would hear me fighting with Cleve and begging him to stop hurting me. Cleve kept a .45 in the nightstand drawer and he told me that if Trap ever made it through our bedroom door, he'd shoot him right between the eyes with it. After he got done with me and passed out, I'd try to sneak out of bed and take a hot bath and try to scrub the smell of him off of me. If he heard me get back into bed, sometimes the whole process would start again. After a while I learned to pray that he'd just be drunk, because if he was drunk and high on coke, it would take him forever to finish," Jill sighed, running a hand through her hair.  
  
"Is that why you cut your wrists?" Mike asked, taking her hands in his.  
  
"I just wanted it to stop. I was in the bathroom one morning after one of our nights together. The door was closed, but I guess Trap just wasn't thinking and he came in. He wanted to take me to a doctor, but Cleve told him if he did, he'd kill both of us. By that time, I didn't care. Part of me wanted to die. There didn't seem to be one good reason to stick around," she said, brushing her hand across her eyes.  
  
"Do you still feel that way?" He asked.  
  
"Sometimes," she admitted.  
  
"Jill, I love you so much," he whispered.  
  
"I love you, too, but I'm scared that I'm going to destroy you," she told him.  
  
"You're not going to destroy me. Tell me what happened that day you cut your wrists," he pressed.  
  
"The night before, Cleve was the most brutal he'd ever been. He had friends over and they brought coke with them. I knew how he got when he did coke, so I tried to lock myself in the bedroom. He forced the lock on the door and came in, anyway. After a while, I heard Trap banging on the door begging Cleve to let me go. The next morning, Trap again wanted to take me to a doctor and was told again that if he tried, he'd kill us both. I kept bleeding and the pain was unbelievable. I could barely stand up straight. I felt like he'd torn up my insides. I started drinking, thinking that alcohol would numb the pain. Finally, I decided I wasn't going to take another night of that, so I told Cleve that I was going to kill myself. He told me to go ahead. I knew he kept a straight razor in the downstairs bathroom," she took a deep breath, trying to collect her thoughts. "I was drunk, but the first one still hurt so bad that I almost didn't do the other one. But, by the time I did the second one, I wasn't feeling anything. I guess it was the shock. Anyway, Trap and Cleve were out on the back patio, blitzed out of their minds, until I walked outside with blood running everywhere. Trap took one look at me, and then he ran inside and grabbed two towels and the keys to Cleve's prized Corvette. When we got to the hospital, they were more concerned with my bruises than with the fact that I was bleeding everywhere. Trap played dumb and said I fell down some stairs. Even after they told him they didn't believe him, he wouldn't give Cleve up," she took another deep breath.  
  
"What about you?" Mike asked.  
  
"I was so blitzed I barely knew my name. Then, they told Trap because I was an attempted suicide; the law required that I had to be locked up for 72 hours observation. It took six men to hold me down so they could put restraints on me. I told Trap I'd never forgive him. The only way they released me after 72 hours was Trap signed a statement saying he'd deliver me to my grandfather's custody," Jill said.  
  
"The first time that we made love, you told me that sex with him had always been painful, but I never dreamed that's what he was doing to you. I am so sorry," he said, drawing her into his arms.  
  
"It's not your fault. You weren't the one who was doing it. Maybe if I'd known more, I could've stopped him. Anyway, tell me about this school you were talking about earlier. Where is it?" She asked, pulling away from him.  
  
"Well, the one I put in for was at Red Rock Army Depot. At least if I went there, I'd be able to come home on weekends. But, the Army in its infinite wisdom has decided to send me to Ft. Leonard Wood, Missouri," he said, pulling her close once again.  
  
"You said for twelve weeks, right?" She asked, placing her hands on his shoulders.  
  
"Yeah, but don't worry. Nothing's carved in stone. I could still get promoted to light colonel and get a desk job," he grinned.  
  
"At the Pentagon?" She asked as he laughed.  
  
"I don't kiss enough ass for that! Anyway, to change the subject, where do you want to go when I get back on the 29th?" He asked, kissing her lightly.  
  
"I don't care. Are you going to tell your parent's about me?" She asked, suddenly worried.  
  
"Of course. I don't have anything to hide. So, are you going to go to Atlanta?" He asked.  
  
"I don't know. My stepsisters want to take this trip to see my mother and their father. I'm not sure I want to make that trip," she said, making a face.  
  
"I just want you to have a nice time while I'm gone. I'll be back before you know it," he said, sitting on the sofa beside her and pulling her close to him. "Do you feel better telling me about what happened in that house?"  
  
"I don't know. Talking about it just dredges up the awful memories of all the nights with him," she sighed.  
  
"I'm going to tell you something. If ever you're not in the mood, all you have to do is tell me "no," or "stop," or whatever you have to do to let me know that you're not interested, okay?" He asked as she looked up at him.  
  
"You won't be upset?" She asked, stunned.  
  
"No, baby, I won't be upset. I love you. I love your company and I love waking up with you beside me in the morning. The sex is not the reason I stay with you, although I admit that I enjoy that part very much. Right now though, I think we could both use some sleep. I have to get up early in the morning and get my packing done," he said, standing up and helping her to her feet.  
  
Mike lay beside Jill, languidly stroking down her body until she fell asleep before he fell asleep himself. He woke up a short time later to her tossing and turning and crying out in her sleep. Jill's nightmares were notorious and frightening. Just as he was about to wake her up, she sat bolt upright in bed, the covers clutched around her chin.  
  
"Was I hitting you again?" She gasped, trying to catch her breath.  
  
"Yeah," Mike said, reaching over and switching the lamp on. "Do you want to talk about it?"  
  
"No," she said, lying down with her back to him.  
  
"You know, I could cancel my trip and we could go somewhere, maybe Pensacola or Mobile," he said, gently rubbing her back as she tried to relax.  
  
"I don't want to see Trap and you need to see your family before you get sent overseas, again," she stated.  
  
"Jill, I didn't mean to open a can of worms. The last thing I want is for you to be so upset over this," he said, moving closer and wrapping himself around her.  
  
"Mike, I would've told you about it. I just feel like I got forced into it. It was almost like being with him all over again," she whispered, placing her hands on his.  
  
"I'm sorry," he whispered in her ear. "I know you still have a lot of fear inside of you. He isn't going to hurt you, anymore, I promise. Now, I don't know about you, but I could use a little more sleep."  
  
"I'll try to keep my hands to myself," she mumbled sleepily, hugging his arms tighter around her.  
  
"Hey, we still have one more night together before I have to leave. Do you want to go to the movies?" He asked as she nodded.  
  
"Butch and Sundance?" She mumbled as Mike grinned.  
  
"Okay, Butch and Sundance it is," he agreed, kissing her on the neck. "We can even steam up the windows of the car, if you want to."  
  
Jill smiled as she drifted off to sleep. The physical side of their relationship still continued to amaze her. They were always holding hands, kissing or touching in some way. And there were times when they couldn't seem to get enough of one another, which often resulted in one or the other of them going into work bleary eyed from lack of sleep.  
  
  
Mike arrived at his parent's home two days later and quickly learned that some things never change. His brother was home for the holidays, which made things a little more pleasant, but his father was as distant as he'd ever been. If it weren't for his mother, Mike probably wouldn't have made the trip, at all. He just hoped Jill was faring better with her family visit than he was.  
  
At Jill's mother's home, things were just as tense. It started as soon as the door was answered at the palatial home of Jill's mother and stepfather, in one of Atlanta's more affluent parts of town.  
  
"Amanda, Patricia, Katherine," Jill's mother announced, pecking her daughter and two stepdaughters dutifully on the cheeks as they entered the house. "Please come in. Katherine, you're so pale! Are you feeling all right?" She observed, taking in Jill's appearance.  
  
"It's Jill, mother, and I'm fine. How are you?" Jill asked, quickly diverting the subject.  
  
"Well, you know how the Atlanta social season is, especially during the holidays. So many parties," as the girls mimicked her, "so little time. Lucy, please take the children to the play room," she said, leading the three women along with Amanda and Patti's children into the house. "I want to visit with my daughters. Amanda, where's Paul? And, Patti, don't tell me that Joe couldn't get off work for one day!"  
  
"He's working, mom. He'll be down later this afternoon," Amanda said, biting back a smile as Jill rolled her eyes.  
  
"Yes, mom. As you know, we can't all marry into money. Some of us actually have to work for a living," Patti quickly added.  
  
"Don't be rude. What about you, Kath...Jill. God, I always hated that name! Are you still with that awful Andrews boy or have you finally moved on?" Jill's mother asked, leading them toward the back of the house toward the patio area.  
  
"No, mother. I've managed to move past Cleve," Jill said.  
  
"I'm so glad, Kath...Jill. Why do you insist on going by that awful name?" Her mother demanded.  
  
"Mother, I've been Jill since I was five years old! You didn't think it was so awful when you named me at birth," Jill said.  
  
"That's only because your grandmother, God rest her soul, insisted. I always thought Katherine a lovely Southern name," she sighed.  
  
"Yeah, it ranks right up there with Scarlett and Melanie. Is it all right if I make a phone call?" Jill suddenly asked as Patti and Amanda smiled.  
"Of course, dear. Who're you going to call?" She asked curiously.  
  
"Dial-A-Prayer. It's beginning to sound like I need one," Jill said, going toward the den and a private phone.  
  
Mike was trying to get through stilted conversation with his parent's when the phone rang. His mother looked at him strangely as she announced that the call was for him. Mike smiled as he took the phone.  
  
"Hello?" He asked, trying to keep his voice down.  
  
"Mike, it's me," Jill voice came over the line.  
  
"Hi, baby. Are you okay?" He asked, thrilled to hear her voice.  
  
"Yeah, but my mother's making me a wreck. I miss you," she whispered as her sister Amanda entered the room.  
  
"I miss you, too, but I'll see you in a couple of days. I'm going to go shopping tomorrow and get you a totally terrific gift," he promised.  
  
"The only gift I want is you," she continued to whisper as Amanda watched her.  
  
"The 29th will be here before you know it. You're going to survive this. It's not a lifetime," he assured her.  
  
"I know, I just needed to hear your voice. I'll see you in a few days," she said, preparing to hang up.  
  
"I'll call you after I get back from Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve. I love you," he said.  
  
"I love you, too. I'll see you on Friday," she said, hanging up.  
  
"Okay, who is he?" Amanda demanded as Jill stared longingly at the phone.  
  
"Who's who?" Patti asked, walking into the room.  
  
"The guy Jill was just talking to on the phone. The guy she was telling she loved and she missed. Come on, Jill, give us the dirt," Amanda said as they took seats.  
  
"Okay. His name's Mike and he's stationed at Ft. McClellan. I met him at work," she said as her stepsisters looked intrigued.  
  
"When did you meet him?" Patti asked.  
  
"About a week after I started working."  
  
"Jill, that was back in August! So, when are we going to meet him? Is he an NCO?" Patti fired the questions with the curiosity of one her kids.  
  
"No, he's an officer and I don't want to overwhelm him with family, especially THIS family. You know how mother can be," Jill said as the two women nodded.  
  
"Do you love him?" Amanda asked, but one look in Jill's eyes gave her the answer to that question.  
  
"Yes, I love him very much. I think one day he's going to ask me to marry him," she smiled as she shyly bit her lower lip.  
  
"He's okay with what you did to your wrists?" Amanda asked pointedly.  
  
"Yeah, we've talked about my wrists, along with other things," Jill told them. "Right now, he's in California visiting his family. He's only been gone a couple of days, but I'm beginning to feel like I've had my right arm cut off."  
  
"She's got it bad, Amanda," Patti sighed.  
  
"I'll say. I remember those days," Amanda smiled.  
  
Later that night, Jill was getting ready for bed when she heard a knock on her door. She looked up as Amanda stuck her head in.  
  
"Hi, can I come in?" Amanda asked.  
  
"Sure," Jill waved her into the room.  
  
"Remember when our dad and your mom got married? I think you were seven or eight at the time and you used to let me come into your room at night and brush your hair before you went to sleep," Amanda remembered.  
  
"I was nine, but I remember," Jill smiled. "That was before my world started spinning out of control."  
  
"Do you mind?" Amanda asked, reaching for Jill's brush.  
  
"Go ahead, even though I think I'm old enough to brush my own hair," Jill said, turning around with her back to Amanda.  
  
"Indulge me," Amanda said, beginning to slowly brush Jill's long, straight brown hair. "So, tell me more about Mike."  
  
"What do you want to know?" Jill asked.  
  
"I don't know, you tell me," Amanda said.  
  
"Amanda, you've been married for a while. How'd you know when Paul was the one? You know, the man you wanted to spend the rest of your life with?" Jill asked.  
  
"I didn't, at first. Then, one day, we were out somewhere together and I looked at him and it was like someone had turned a light on over my head. Can I ask you a personal question?" Amanda suddenly asked.  
  
"Yes, I'm sleeping with him," Jill blurted out.  
  
"That's not what I was going to ask. Your mother told us you'd gone to California with Cleve. What happened out there that made you want to die?" Amanda asked curiously.  
  
"I can't tell you the whole story. Cleve was abusive towards me and I just decided one day that I'd had enough," she said quietly.  
  
"But, Mike knows the whole story?" Amanda asked, putting the brush down.  
  
"Yeah, he knows," Jill replied.  
  
"I'll let you get some sleep," Amanda said, walking towards the door.  
  
"Amanda?"  
  
"Yeah?" She asked, turning around.  
  
"For the first time in a long time, I feel truly lucky," Jill smiled.  
  
"That's good. Get some sleep," Amanda said, walking out and closing the door behind her.  
  
  
Christmas Eve morning, Mike and his older brother, David, went shopping for last minute gifts. David had Mike's wavy hair, but his eyes were more gray-green. He was surprised when Mike walked into a jewelry store and started looking at gold bracelets.  
  
"Okay, Michael, what gives? Who is she?" David asked, slightly amused.  
  
"Who's who?" Mike asked.  
  
"The girl you're buying the bracelet for. You must be remembering that story Pop's told a thousand times. Mike, don't do it unless you're serious," David urged him.  
  
"I've never been more serious in my life," Mike said as the salesman approached the counter. "What size ring does Lisette wear?"  
  
"Lisette? My wife, Lisette? Seven. Why? Look, Mike, if you're thinking of getting my wife jewelry for Christmas, please don't. She has more gold in her jewelry box right now than Fort Knox," David pleaded with his brother as Mike looked at him strangely.  
  
"Why would I be getting your wife jewelry?" Mike asked, looking at David.  
  
"Oh, man! Does Pop know about this girl?" David asked.  
  
"Don't have kittens, I'm going to talk to him," Mike said, pointing to a bracelet under the glass. The salesman brought it out for him to look at.   
  
"Are you going to ask her to marry you?" David asked as Mike looked at two other bracelets before selecting a herringbone that he thought was perfect.  
  
"That's the plan, but you don't know anything," Mike said, fixing his brother with a lethal stare as they walked over toward the rings.  
  
"Why are you thinking of settling down now after all this time?" David asked as Mike began looking at wedding sets.  
  
"What're you saying? That just because I'm almost 30 years old, I'm too old to settle down and start raising a family? If you want my opinion, you started too young," Mike said, examining a couple of different sets.  
  
"Yeah, maybe," David mumbled to himself.  
  
That afternoon, Mike was eating lunch listening to the din of various relatives in the other room when his father walked in. By the look on his old man's face, Mike knew he was in for a serious grilling. His father fixed a glass of iced tea and sat down across the table from his younger son.  
  
"I see you're eating well," his father observed.  
  
"I've always liked to eat, Pop," Mike said.  
  
"Your mother was telling me that you got a call from a young lady yesterday. Do you want to fill me in on this new girlfriend of yours?" He asked.  
  
"What do you want to know?" Mike asked, rising to the bait.  
  
"Don't play games with me, Michael! Why do I get the feeling that your mother and I aren't exactly going to approve of this young lady?" Mr. Danko surmised.  
  
"Where do you get that idea?" Mike asked.  
  
"Because, you've been in Alabama for over four months and this is the first we've heard about her!" His father hissed furiously, trying not to draw attention.  
  
"Well, it's probably because you wouldn't approve of her. Her name is Jill Kingston. I met her in Anniston," Mike said, taking a bite of his sandwich.  
  
"What does she do?" His father inquired.  
  
"At the moment, she works in her uncle's bar," Mike said, cringing while he waited for the explosion.  
  
"She's a waitress?" His father asked, his face beginning to redden.  
  
"No, sir. She tends bar," Mike said quietly.  
  
"Have you lost your mind? With your education and your background..."   
  
"I knew you were going to have this kind of a reaction, that's why I never wrote to you about Jill or told you about her over the phone. I'm going to marry her, Pop, and I'm waaaay over the age of consent, so I don't need your permission or your blessing, although the latter would be nice," Mike said, putting his plate in the sink and leaving the room.  
  
Before he'd left to go to Los Angeles, Mike had asked Jill's uncle about his beach cottage in Mobile. He wanted to take Jill there for a few days when he got back into town. When Jill came into the bar the afternoon of the 29th, Ray handed her the keys.  
  
"I don't know if it was supposed to be a secret or not, but Mike asked about the house in Mobile. Here's the keys," the old man said, handing Jill the keys.  
  
"Thanks," Jill said, looking at Jimmy, who only shrugged.  
  
"What time's he supposed to be in?" Jimmy asked as Jill wiped down the bar for about the hundredth time. "Jill, if that bar gets any cleaner, we're going to be able to eat off of it."  
  
"Sorry, I guess I'm just antsy," Jill smiled as she hung the towel on a hook.  
  
"Is Mike meeting you here?" Jimmy asked.  
  
"Yeah, he should be landing any minute," Jill answered.  
  
Mike walked into the bar about an hour later, dressed in his Class A uniform. Jimmy smiled at the way Jill's whole face lit up when he walked in. He took off his cap as she walked over to him and kissed him.  
  
"Hi, I missed you," she breathed as he longingly kissed her back.  
  
"I missed you, too," he said, hugging her tightly.  
  
"You two need to get a room already," Jimmy remarked as Jill and Mike looked at him. "Get out of here, Jill. I'll see you after New Year's."  
  
They walked out of the bar and went back to the trailer to prepare for their own holiday celebration.  
  
TBC 


	4. Meeting With Destiny: Chapter Four

DISCLAIMER: See Chapter One for disclaimer.  
  
TITLE: Meeting With Destiny-Chapter Four  
  
RATING: R  
  
CHAPTER FOUR:   
  
Mike followed Jill's beat-up VW back to the trailer. When he got there, he grabbed his bag out of the trunk and walked into the trailer, where Jill immediately ambushed him. He smiled as he dropped his bag to the floor and gathered her into his arms, looking down into her eyes as she removed his hat and ran her fingers through his hair.  
  
"You're inside, so you can take your hat off. I like being able to see your eyes," she smiled up at him.  
  
"I remember you telling me that once," he grinned back, walking over to the sofa and pulling her down onto his lap. He let out a low moan as Jill began kissing his neck. "I thought you wanted to pack and head out for Mobile."  
  
"Let's leave in the morning. That way, you can get some rest and we won't have to travel in the dark," she explained, relishing the sight of him.  
  
"Why do I get the feeling that we're not going to get much rest?" He sighed, reluctantly pulling Jill away from his neck.  
  
"Oh, we'll get some rest," she said, biting back a smile.  
  
Mike smiled back as he looked at her. This was a side of her he rarely got to see. Usually she was much shyer with him. He pulled her closer to him again and kissed her as his hands began a leisurely exploration under her shirt.  
  
"Danko, your uniform is stabbing me," she complained, referring to the campaign ribbons on his uniform jacket.  
  
He helped her to her feet and removed the offending jacket, folding it neatly over a nearby chair. "Better?" He asked as she nodded. "Before we get too involved in saying hello to one another, I've got something for you in my bag."  
  
She sat on the sofa and watched as he opened his suitcase and rummaged through it before finally finding whatever it was that he was seeking. He walked over and sat beside her before presenting her with an oblong white box.  
  
"There's a speech that goes with this gift, but I want you to open it, first," he said as she slowly opened the box. Inside was a gold herringbone bracelet. Mike took the bracelet and slipped it around Jill's wrist. "When my father met my mother, the very first gift he ever presented her with was a gold bracelet. He told us that story a million times while we were growing up. My brother thought I was insane, but when I saw the bracelet, I thought of you," he smiled as he watched her examine the bracelet on her arm.  
  
"It's beautiful. Thank you," she whispered as he kissed her once again.  
  
They got up early the next morning to go to Mobile. The small house was somewhat off the beaten path, but Jill remembered how to get there. She smiled when they walked in. Ray had obviously been there and stocked the place with firewood and grocery staples. You couldn't see the beach from the house, but you could smell the salt air.  
  
"How far away is the beach?" Mike asked, looking out the window.  
  
"Not too far. There's a path that'll take us right to it, but you don't want to do that now, do you?" Jill asked, dismayed. She'd been hoping to catch up on each other's lives during the past six days. Mike had said very little about his trip home, which worried Jill.  
  
"No, we can go later," he said, walking over and taking her hand.   
  
"I love you," she said, kissing him.  
  
"You know, if you'll hold that thought for just a minute, I have one more thing in the other room," he said, pulling free as Jill watched him.  
  
She sat down in one of the overstuffed chairs, wondering what he had up his sleeve this time. She looked at the bracelet encircling her arm and smiled. He'd been acting mysteriously since the night before. She stood up when he walked back into the room.  
  
"No, sit down, please," he begged. She looked at him strangely as she sat back down. "There's something wrong with this picture. I know what it is. I have a short story to tell you. It started the day I bought the bracelet. My brother and I went shopping Christmas Eve and I walked into a jewelry store to look at the bracelets. Like I told you last night, my brother thought I was insane and I only added more fuel to my so-called insanity by doing what I did next."  
  
"And, what's that?" Jill asked.  
  
"After I picked out the bracelet, I walked to the other side of the display counters, to where the wedding sets are displayed," he looked at Jill, who was barely breathing. "My father told us that when he proposed to my mother, he got down on one knee," bending down on one knee, he produced the ring box and slowly opened it. "Jill, I love you. I've loved you since the very first time I ever saw you. I would very much like for you to honor me by becoming my wife. Will you marry me?" He asked, taking her hand and slipping the ring slowly on her finger.  
  
"I love you, too, and yes, I'll marry you!" She cried as she pulled him closer and kissed him. They both started laughing when Mike lost his balance and fell over, pulling her down with him.  
  
He looked at her as she rested her chin on his chest and brushed her hair from her face before pulling her closer and kissing her. "Do you still want to take that walk on the beach?" He asked as she nodded. She stood up and helped him to his feet.  
  
It wasn't a particularly cold day, but the breeze coming from the sea was chilly. They walked hand in hand, picking up pieces of driftwood and shells as they walked along the shoreline. By the time they returned to the small house a short time later, they were both wind blown. Mike started a fire in the fireplace while Jill went to fix them something to eat. She came back a short time later with a tray, which she handed to him as she settled on the floor next to him.  
  
"This is nice," she sighed as Mike handed her a glass of wine. "You haven't said anything about your trip. Did you get some nice things for Christmas?"  
  
"Not nice things, but practical. My folks are big on 'practical,' Mike said, taking a sip of his wine as Jill watched him.  
  
"I guess they figure a man who spends a lot of his life traveling needs practical more than nice," Jill surmised as Mike smiled.  
  
"Yeah, well, I didn't travel much when I was seven. That was the year my father got me my own shoeshine kit. He said 'A man's shoes should look their best all of the time.' I would've settled for an electric train like my friends," Mike sighed.  
  
"Were you already in military school by then?" Jill asked.  
  
"No, that happened a few months later. I have to tell you something and I want you to know that it doesn't change anything about how I feel about you," Mike started to say.  
  
"Your father flipped," Jill guessed as Mike cringed.  
  
"To give you a direct quote, he wanted to know if I'd lost my mind," Mike quipped.  
  
"Mike, I'm sorry. I don't want to cause problems between you and your family," Jill said.  
  
"Jill, you're not causing problems. The problems have been there between my old man and me since I was seven years old. He doesn't understand why I'm living the life I want to lead instead of the life he wants me to lead. He can't get it through his head that I'm not him and I don't want to be him. I love you and I want us to have a life together, whether I stay in the Army or get out and do something else. Whatever I decide, I want you by my side. Okay?" He asked, taking her wine glass from her hand and pulling her closer to him.  
  
Jill lay awake later that night long after Mike had fallen asleep. She lifted up her left hand and slowly turned the diamond engagement ring he'd placed on her finger earlier that afternoon. She never thought it would be possible to love somebody as much as she loved him. The thought sometimes scared her to death. She turned over and pressed herself closer to Mike, smiling when she felt him take her hands and squeeze them gently before sleepily turning over to look at her.  
  
"Why are you awake? Or did you ever go to sleep?" He smiled, pulling her closer to him.  
  
"I was just thinking," she smiled.  
  
"Thinking? What could you possibly be thinking about at this time of the morning?" He smiled back, pulling her even closer.  
  
"You, of course. These days, you're the only thing I ever think about," she whispered, sighing as Mike's hands began slowly sweeping across her bare flesh. "But, if you keep doing what you're doing, I won't be able to think about anything."  
  
"Good, because that's the plan," he admitted, pulling the quilt over them as he covered her body with his own.  
  
The rest of the winter flew by. The main topic of conversations for the duration of those long winter months was plans for their wedding and Mike trying to convince Jill to quit working in the bar. She tended to agree with him on the bar. What she really wanted to do was go back to school, something that Mike was very happy about. He knew if she were in school, it would give her something to do besides worry about him while he was in Missouri for three months.  
  
"What kind of a wedding do you want to have?" He asked one evening while they were curled up on the couch watching TV.  
  
"I don't know. The only thing that I do know is I don't want my mother involved. She'll invite every family in the Atlanta social register. I have no urge to be in the society column," she stated, playing with the ring on her finger.  
  
"I don't want anything fancy either. I was thinking just a few friends, no more than maybe twenty people. Does that sound okay to you?" He asked, kissing her on the neck.  
  
"That sounds wonderful to me. When did you want to do this?" She asked, craning around to look at him.  
  
"I don't know. I guess we should pick a date. Let's see, I should be back from TDY around the middle of June. Do you want to meet with the base chaplain and shoot for a date right after I get back?" He asked, suddenly very excited.  
  
"We could, but summer wedding's are so cliché, don't you think?" She asked.  
  
"Okay, you don't want to do a summer wedding. How about the fall?" He smiled, watching her ponder things in her mind.  
  
"October?" She asked, grinning, as Mike looked puzzled.  
  
"Is there some significance to the month of October? I mean, I know your birthday's in October, but am I missing something?" Mike asked as Jill gave him a funny look.  
  
"Our first lunch date was in October," she smiled, taking his hand. "I don't understand why men have no sense of occasion."  
  
"I have a great sense of occasion. I remember the exact date and minute that I told you I loved you. Now, if that isn't a sense of occasion, then I don't know what is," he smiled, pulling her closer to him.  
  
"Okay, I apologize," she conceded. "Will you write to me while you're gone?"  
  
"Um, I'm not the world's greatest letter writer, but I will be thinking of you every minute of every day. Speaking of letter writing, do you want us to do our own vows?" He suddenly asked.  
  
"What do you mean? Instead of 'Do you take this woman,' we make up something? If I tell our guests everything I want to say about you, Danko, I might be up there for a week," she said as Mike grinned.  
  
"I attended a wedding a while back and the couple did that. I thought it was kind of cool, but if you want to do the traditional wedding thing, I am a traditional guy. It's whatever you want," he said, kissing her softly.  
  
"Why whatever I want? It's your wedding, too," she whispered against his lips.  
  
"Yeah, but I think it's more important to you. I mean, I've heard most little girls dream all their lives of their wedding day and they want every detail to be perfect," he said, kissing her again.  
  
"As long as you're standing beside me, it's going to be perfect," she smiled.  
  
Mike left for Missouri in early March. Although Jill missed him, she'd enrolled in classes for her G.E.D., and then enrolled in the local university shortly after receiving her certificate. That took care of her days. The nights were rough, but she managed to get through by remembering how tough it had been before she'd met Mike.  
  
Mike took his classes, counting the days until he could return to Alabama. It was hot and sticky where he was. But, when he returned to Alabama on a warm June evening, he found it was hot and humid there, too. By the time he'd reported to his C.O. and got his things together, it was almost midnight. He smiled as he pulled up in the gravel driveway and turned off the engine. He'd missed Jill so badly that he ached inside. They'd talked on the phone a few times, but phone calls didn't make up for the physical loneliness. He quietly unlocked the trailer door and slipped inside, closing and locking the door behind him. He could see the sliver of light from the partially closed bathroom door as he made his way to the bedroom. Jill was sound asleep under the sheet with his pillow clutched to her chest. He put his bag down by the bedroom doorway and walked over to the bed.  
  
Jill thought she was dreaming when she felt Mike softly kiss her. She smiled as she sleepily opened her eyes and saw Mike sitting beside her on the bed.  
  
"Mike, hi. I wasn't expecting you back for another couple of days," she breathed, pulling him closer to her and hugging him tightly.  
  
"I got back early. I need a shower," he whispered.  
  
"Later," Jill breathed, hurriedly unbuttoning his shirt before he had a chance to object.  
  
A few weeks later, Cleve breezed into town looking for Jill once again. He was surprised when he walked into the bar to find out she no longer worked there. The new bartender, not knowing he was doing anything wrong, gave Cleve all the information he needed regarding where Jill had gone and what she was doing.  
  
Jill was out in the front yard, tending the small vegetable garden she'd planted in the spring when she heard the unmistakable sound of the red Ferrari. Cleve got out of the car and sauntered over as if he were a long lost friend.  
  
"Hi, Jill," he said, looking Jill over carefully. "The new bartender told me you'd be here. I understand congratulations are in order."  
  
"Cleve, I don't want any trouble. It's over between us! It's been over for a long time. Please just get back into your car and get out of here," she pleaded, still holding onto the garden hose.  
  
"I just wanted to offer my congratulations," he said, advancing toward her.  
  
Jill began backing up before remembering the hose she still held in her hand. Cleve looked down toward the sprayer attachment at the same time Jill did. He was quick, but Jill was quicker, for once. She squeezed the attachment and pointed it toward him. He was quickly hit by a blast of cold water. He began running after Jill, who all the while, had the hose clutched in her hand. The yard soon became a quagmire of red clay mud. Cleve almost had her in his clutches when they both heard another car pull into the driveway.  
  
Mike didn't even turn the motor off. He slammed the car into 'Park' and jumped out of the car, chasing Cleve around the yard. He finally caught up with him and knocked him on his butt in the middle of the yard.  
  
"Do you want to take on somebody? Try me!" Mike shouted, yanking Cleve up by his shirt.  
  
By this time, Jill had decided she'd had enough. She was wet, cold, and muddy and extremely pissed off. She turned the sprayer on both men, quickly drenching them both. Mike shoved Cleve toward his car and watched as the man jumped in and gunned the engine before driving off in a cloud of dust and gravel. Mike then turned toward Jill, who still had the water hose aimed at him.  
  
"Jill, turn the water off!" He shouted at her as she continued pointing the sprayer at him. By slipping and sliding his way toward the house, he was finally able to get to the faucet and shut off the water. He began laughing hysterically as he got a good look at the two of them, drenching wet and covered almost head to toe in red clay mud.  
  
Jill, on the other hand, had no sense of humor. She dropped the hose and stalked into the house as well as she could through the mud. A few minutes later, she came back to the front door with clean clothes for Mike.  
  
"Go back to the base, Mike!" She shouted, throwing his clothes at him.  
  
"Jill, come on!" He said, barely catching the clothes she'd thrown out the door.  
  
"I had things under control! I don't need you riding in here on your white horse to rescue me all the time!" She said, slamming the door closed.  
  
"Come on, Jill! Don't do this!" He yelled at the closed door.  
  
After several minutes, he sat down on the porch and removed his mud caked boots, leaving them beside the door before padding into the house. He could hear the shower running as he began stripping off his wet uniform. He opened the bathroom door and stepped inside, smiling at the sight of Jill's silhouette behind the shower curtain.  
  
"Hey, is there room for two in there?" He asked cheerfully.  
  
"No!" Jill shouted back.  
  
"Well, do me a favor and save me some hot water, okay?" He asked, walking out and pulling the door closed.  
Mike was sitting on the front porch drinking a beer when Jill came outside almost half an hour later. She smiled at the sight of him sitting there in his undershirt and shorts. She sat down and took his beer from him, taking a drink of it before handing it back to him.  
  
"I'm glad we live out in the country. If we lived in town, you couldn't sit on our front porch in your underwear," she observed.  
  
"Well, I didn't want to put clean clothes on until I'd had a chance to wash Alabama off of me first," he said.  
  
"Mike, I'm sorry. Maybe I did need you to come in here on your white horse to rescue me," she said.  
  
"Is that what I look like to you? Your knight in shining armor?" He asked.  
  
"Mike, I was angry. This time, it wasn't even fear where Cleve was concerned. I was angry that he showed up. I love you! Having a knight in shining armor isn't such a bad thing," she smiled, wrapping her arms around him.  
  
Mike smiled as he closed his arms around her and held her close to him. They sat on the front porch wrapped in each other's arms as Mike finished his beer. "I guess I should go get in the shower so I can put some clean clothes on and get my boots cleaned up. I think half of your yard is on the bottom and sides of them," he said, standing up and opening the front door.  
  
Between classes and making plans for the upcoming wedding, the summer quickly flew by. Jill had wanted to wear her grandmother's wedding dress, until her mother started trying to take over the wedding plans. Mike had brought her back from Atlanta on a warm September afternoon, more upset than he could ever remember seeing her. All in all, it had been an exhausting day. It had all started with Jill's mother trying to insist that they get married in one of the huge churches in Atlanta. The woman had then started listing people to invite. Mike had been in the Army for over 10 years and had never met as many people in his travels as this woman wanted to invite to her daughter's wedding. Jill's insistence that they wanted a small wedding fell on deaf ears. The final straw came when she told Jill she'd speak to her father about giving her away. Jill had gone completely berserk at that point. It had taken almost every ounce of Mike's strength to get her calm enough to take home.  
  
When they arrived back at the trailer, Jill had lay in his arms on the sofa and cried all afternoon. Mike had sat there, stroking her back and trying to say anything he thought of that would comfort her, but she was inconsolable. That night was awful. Mike wanted to drive back up to Atlanta and strangle Jill's mother with his bare hands for causing her daughter so much pain.  
  
"Sometimes I wonder how she can sit up there in that fancy house and call herself my mother. I didn't feel a part of her when I was a child and I feel even less a part of her now as an adult," Jill whispered in the darkness.  
  
"Jill, I honestly don't think she realizes how much she's hurting anybody when she says the things she says. Like you told me once, she's so self-absorbed, all she thinks about is herself. You've already asked your Uncle Ray to give you away, so we'll just stick with that part of the plan," he said, planting a gentle kiss on her shoulder as she rolled over to face him.  
  
"Are your parent's going to come?" She asked, moving into his embrace.  
  
"I don't know, yet. Every time I ask them, they dance around the subject," he said, wincing at the fresh look of pain that crossed her face.  
  
"Maybe they'll come if I let my mother plan a huge society wedding," she said in a shaky voice.  
  
"Hey, listen to me. We've had this conversation before. Neither of us wants that kind of a wedding. I want you to have the kind of wedding that you want, not what any of them wants, okay?" He asked, tilting her head up so he was looking into her eyes.  
  
"Okay," she slowly smiled.  
  
Jill was shopping in town about a week later when she spotted the dress in a shop window. It definitely wasn't your typical wedding dress, but to Jill, it was perfect. She quickly went in and looked at it. After trying it on, she bought it. She couldn't wait to show it to her sisters.  
  
Unlike her mother, Mike had enjoyed meeting Jill's stepsisters very much, especially Amanda. He had trouble keeping the family relationship straight, but he could tell that they loved each other very much. And, he loved spending time with Amanda and her husband, Paul's, two-and-a-half year old daughter, Victoria, or Tori for short. Jill smiled when she watched Mike with her and with her other nieces and nephews. He clearly loved children and they loved him.  
  
They were attending a barbecue at Amanda and Paul's house in Anniston one late fall afternoon. While the men were busy outside with the children and the cooking, Jill took the opportunity to show the dress to her sisters. It was a long dress in a beautiful ivory color with a brightly embroidered bodice. Amanda and Patti made the appropriate sounds regarding the dress, but both were clearly confused.  
  
"Jill, I thought you wanted to wear your grandmother's wedding dress. Isn't that what you always said?" Amanda asked, as Jill put the dress back in the garment bag and zipped it closed.  
  
"Well, I did, but the ceremony's more important than the dress. You don't think the dress is a good choice?" She asked, slightly hurt.  
  
"It's a pretty dress, Jill, it's just not your typical wedding dress," Patti commented.  
  
"You know what, Jill? Don't worry about it. I can sweep your hair up and thread ribbons through it and it'll offset the dress perfectly," Amanda offered after seeing the hurt look in Jill's eyes.  
  
"That would be wonderful. Thank you, Amanda," Jill said, breathing a sigh of relief.  
  
Mike came home from work about a week before the wedding to find Jill at the dining room table furiously writing. The floor at her feet was littered with crumpled up balls of paper.  
  
"Hi, baby. If you're trying out for basketball, I'm afraid you don't have a chance in hell," he smiled, kissing her as she covered up the sheet of paper she was writing on.  
  
"Mike, this writing our own vows stuff is tougher than I thought it would be. Do you have yours written down?" She asked as he got a beer and sat down.  
  
"No, but I've been rehearsing and I pretty much know what I want to say. It'll be fine, baby. It'll all come to you. Meanwhile, you can always work on improving your hook shot," he smiled as she threw yet another piece of paper over her shoulder.  
  
"Very funny," she grumbled as he laughed.  
  
The night before the wedding, Amanda whisked Jill off to her house to spend the night; something Jill was less than thrilled about.  
  
"Jill, its bad luck for the groom to see you the night before the wedding. We'll have a good time, you'll see," Amanda promised.  
  
The next morning, Jimmy drove to Mike's BOQ to see how he was managing. He found Mike in his front room, fumbling with the tie on his uniform.  
  
"Do we have butter fingers this morning, Michael?" Jimmy smiled.  
  
"I've been tying one of these things on my own since I was seven years old. All of a sudden, my fingers have forgotten how to make the knot. Have you seen Jill this morning?" He asked as Jimmy smiled.  
  
"She's a wreck, if it makes you feel any better," Jimmy mused.  
  
"Good, at least I know I'm not alone in that department. Hey, before I forget, I want to let you know how glad I am that you agreed to be my best man. It means a lot to me, but it means even more to Jill," Mike said as Jimmy nodded.  
  
"Hey, I'm just glad you asked. I figured you'd get your friend, Capt. Cateshah, or Trap to do the duty," Jimmy said.  
  
"Well, Garry's still not too keen on Jill and I like Trap all right, but he isn't exactly best man material. If it hadn't been for you trying to constantly throw us together, we wouldn't be standing here right now," Mike told the young man as he continued fumbling with his tie.  
  
"I think I'd better help you with that or we'll be here all day," Jimmy said as Mike nodded.  
  
At Amanda's house, Jill was impatiently sitting on a chair while Amanda tended to her hair, intricately threading white satin ribbons through her long, dark curls. Patti walked into the room, giggling.  
  
"What're you laughing about?" Amanda demanded.  
  
"Jill's future husband. I just talked to Jimmy. He said Mike's fine, except for the fact that he's forgotten how to dress," Patti said, as Amanda and Jill laughed.  
  
Three hours later, Mike was in the anteroom of the base chapel, furiously wearing out the carpet with his pacing.  
  
"Mike, relax. They'll be here soon. Do you want a cup of coffee?" He asked as Mike glared at him.  
  
"Are you kidding? I'm already wired enough as it is," Mike said, jumping at a tap on the door.  
  
"Mike, they're ready," Trap said, sticking his head in the door.  
  
"Did you see Jill? Is she okay?" Mike demanded.  
  
"I saw her, Mike, and she's fine. She looks beautiful, by the way," Trap confessed, shutting the door as he stepped back out.  
  
"Well, Michael, this is it. Are you ready?" Jimmy asked, as Mike took a deep breath and nodded.  
  
"We have everything, right? The rings, the license, all that stuff?" Mike checked for the thousandth time as Jimmy nodded.  
  
"Yes, everything's fine. Come on, let's go get married," Jimmy smiled.  
  
Mike's eyes filled with tears as he watched Jill slowly walking down the aisle on her uncle's arm. He'd never seen anyone look more beautiful or more radiant. He just hoped with all of his heart that he would make her as happy as she'd made him the past year. It seemed an eternity until she was finally standing by his side, smiling at him with the smile that was pure Jill. The chaplain motioned for the guests to sit down before he began.  
  
"Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to witness the union of this man with this woman in holy matrimony. I've met with Michael and Jill several times in the last few months and have helped them put together a ceremony that pleases all parties. At this time, they would like to share with all of you words that they hope convey what they feel for each other, much more so than your traditional vows. Go ahead, Michael," the chaplain urged him as Mike smiled and gently took Jill's hands in his.  
  
"I first saw you my very first day in town. From that first minute, I felt instantly drawn in by you, even though you made it abundantly clear that you wanted nothing to do with me, even going so far as trying to avoid me," he smiled as a ripple of laughter went through the chapel. "But, gradually, I felt the tides began to turn. It started with a game of pool, which led to a lunch, which led us to where we are now. I love you with all of my heart and soul. I love the way your eyes dance when you're happy, but most of all, I love watching your face light up when I look at you. I want to share my home with you, have children with you and grow old with you. I always want you to be the first thing I see when I wake up in the morning and the last thing I see before going to sleep at night. But most of all, I always want to see the way that you smile whenever I tell you that I love you, because I plan on saying those words to you every day until the day that I die," he said as his voice started to choke up. "I love you."  
  
"You're a hard act to follow, Danko," Jill whispered, as tears threatened to take over. "You walked into my life when I was about as far down as a person could possibly get. You were persistent and nosy and an incredible pest, but it was impossible to get away from you and after a while, I started looking forward to your persistence and your nosiness. As for being a pest, we're still working on that," she said as Mike smiled. "I told you once that I suffer from horrible nightmares, which you responded to by promising to be right by my side when I woke up in the middle of the night screaming. You've done that, but you've also done so much more. You've shown me that it's possible to open up my heart and trust someone, that just because you tell someone something awful, they're not going to run away. You've shown me that it's possible to love somebody unconditionally. But, most of all, you've shown me how to laugh again, even at myself. And, I love you, too," she smiled, as tears rolled slowly down her cheeks.  
  
"May I have the rings?" The chaplain asked as Jimmy reached into his pocket and produced the two rings. "Michael, do I understand that we're going traditional on the rings part?"  
  
"Yes, sir," Mike smiled as Jill nodded.  
  
After putting the rings on each other's fingers and repeating the words the chaplain said, Mike took Jill's hands tightly in his own as they looked at the chaplain expectantly.  
  
"By the power vested in me by the state of Alabama, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride," the chaplain smiled as Mike pulled Jill closer to him and kissed her.  
  
They had a small reception at the Officer's Club afterward. They were all sitting at a long table laughing and joking with each other before Jimmy finally stood up and tapped on his champagne glass to get everybody's attention.  
  
"As the best man, they've told me that I'm supposed to propose a toast. To Mike and Jill, I hope you have a long life filled with happiness and love," he concluded.  
  
Mike glanced over at Jill, who seemed to be slightly overwhelmed by all of the attention they were receiving. "How're you holding up?" He asked, covering her hand with his own.  
  
"I'm okay. A little bird told me that you were having trouble remembering how to dress this morning," she smiled as Mike blushed.  
  
"I was just a little nervous," he confessed.  
  
Jimmy had pulled all of Jill's favorite songs from the jukebox at the bar and arranged for them to be temporarily put in the jukebox at the club. While Mike was in the men's room, he took Jill out onto the dance floor.  
  
"So, are you happy?" He asked as they slowly moved across the floor.  
  
"I've never been more happy in my life," she smiled.  
  
"He's a good man. He loves you very much," Jimmy smiled as he spotted Mike approaching them.  
  
"I know and I love him very much, also," she said as Mike tapped Jimmy on the shoulder.  
  
"Do you mind if I cut in?" Mike asked.  
  
"Not at all," Jimmy said as he stepped aside.  
  
"Did I tell you how beautiful you look today?" Mike whispered, pulling her closer to him as they danced.  
  
"You don't look too bad yourself," she murmured, resting her chin on his shoulder.  
  
"But, I can't wait until I have you all to myself and I can remove all of those pins from your hair," he said as she smiled.  
  
"I'm disappointed, Danko. That's all you have in mind, taking the pins out of my hair?" She asked, pulling away slightly.  
  
"No, that's not all I have in mind, but it's a good start," he whispered huskily, bending down to kiss her gently.  
  
The gentleness of the kiss took Jill's breath away. She pulled away and looked at him with shining eyes. "I love you, Mike," she whispered in a tear-choked voice.  
  
"I love you, too. Hey, do you think these people will mind if we cut out of here early?" He asked, his eyes twinkling.  
  
"No, I think they'd probably understand. But, I do think we should at least stay long enough to cut the wedding cake, don't you think?" She smiled.  
  
After cutting the cake and visiting with their guests for a little while, they left. Mike had gotten some days off and had offered to take Jill anywhere she wanted to go. They were heading for Mobile the next morning, but Jill had told him she wanted to spend their first married night together in his BOQ, where everything had started. He unlocked the door and scooped Jill up in his arms, carrying her into his bedroom and depositing her on his bed.  
  
"I always wanted to do that," he smiled, removing his uniform jacket and draping it over a nearly chair. "Now, you can't complain about being stabbed by my ribbons."  
  
Jill had kicked off her shoes and was sitting cross-legged on the bed watching him as he sat down and pulled her closer to him.  
  
"Hello, Mrs. Danko," he breathed, kissing her longingly.  
  
"I like the sound of that," she smiled, returning his kiss. "Can I say something here?"  
  
"You can say anything you want," he said, moving down to kiss her neck.  
  
"I know you told me once that you have rushin' hands and roamin' fingers, but we have all night," she said, as Mike pulled away from her and smiled.  
  
"You're right. Slow is definitely better," he whispered, reaching up and pulling one end of the ribbon from Jill's hair. As the ribbon fell to the bed, Jill's hair cascaded in a riot of curls down her back.  
  
"See? No pins," she smiled at the look on Mike's face.  
  
"Then, I'll just to find other ways to occupy my time, won't I?"   
  
Mike started kissing Jill, beginning with her forehead and working his way down her face. When he got to her mouth, he traced her mouth with his tongue before forcing her lips apart and exploring the inside of her mouth. He finally left her mouth and began tracing a path down her neck and throat. Jill tried to reach for him to untie his tie and unbutton his shirt, but Mike stayed just out of the reach of her fingers. Jill groaned in desperation and desire as she kept trying to reach him.  
  
"Mike, I need to touch you," Jill whimpered in frustration.  
  
"Soon. Just relax for a few minutes," he smiled at her.  
  
"Oh, I'm relaxed. Believe me," she breathed.  
  
Mike was glad the dress had buttons down the front. It added to his fun. He planted kisses between her breasts with each button he unbuttoned. Jill felt like her senses were on fire. He slipped the sleeves of the dress off of her shoulders and unhooked Jill's bra from behind and slipped it off, as well. He flicked Jill's already erect nipples with his tongue, smiling at the moan that escaped from Jill's lips. He came back up and captured Jill's mouth again with his own. Jill could feel him through the thin material of her dress, but he still evaded her when she tried to touch him. He finally allowed her to help him with his shirt and tie, but it was obvious that he was in no hurry to go any further. Jill thought she was going to go mad. She ran her hands over the patch of hair on his chest and kissed his chest, kneading the muscles on his back and shoulders as she once again tried to move her hands further down. Mike captured her hands and pinned them down. For some reason, this scared Jill and she tried to fight him.  
  
"Baby, I'm sorry," he said, pulling her closer to him.  
  
"It's okay. Just don't pin my hands down," she told him, as the look of terror slowly faded from her eyes.  
  
"Okay," he said, kissing her once again, causing her to forget the incident entirely.  
  
She smiled as she pulled his head down and kissed him again, this time exploring his mouth with her tongue. When Mike pulled away from her, he was breathless.  
  
"I don't think I'll ever get enough of you," he vowed.  
  
"Same here. Now, are you going to let me touch you or not?" She pleaded with him.  
  
"Not yet," he shook his head slowly, laughing, as Jill wanted to scream in frustration. "You know, they say good things come to those who wait."  
  
"Well, can I at least help you take your pants off?" She asked, reaching for his belt buckle as he once again moved just out of her reach.  
  
"No, that constitutes touching and you can't touch me, yet," he said, although he was sorely tempted to give into her.  
  
"Where did you learn your self-control? The Nazis?" She hissed at him as he laughed.  
  
"By the time I get done with you, you're going to be begging me for mercy or something resembling mercy," he promised her.  
  
Jill groaned as Mike moved back down to her breasts. She clutched at his hair and he licked and nipped at her breasts. "God, I knew it! You were trained by the Nazis!"  
  
Jill would never let Mike move any further down her body with his lips and tongue because of her experiences with Cleve, but he could still touch her. He slid her dress the rest of the way down her body, leaving Jill in just her white satiny underwear. He could feel her desire through the thin fabric of the panties. She moaned his name when he slid her panties down her legs and touched her. Mike could feel whatever self-control he had bragged to Jill about slipping away as soon as he touched her.  
  
Jill whimpered in disappointment when she felt Mike move away from her. He stood up and unbuckled his belt and was about to undo his fly when Jill stopped him with her hands. She slowly unbuttoned the top of his green uniform pants and slowly slid his zipper down. He stepped out of his pants, leaving him clad in the Army issue green boxers that Jill hated so much.  
  
She reached out and pulled them down his legs. She still couldn't get over how hard and hot Mike felt to her touch. He growled at the sensations she was now invoking in him. He knew if he didn't stop her, things would end before they began, almost like the first night they were together. But, he wasn't so sure he wanted her to stop. Finally, he pulled her hand away and pulled her up to kiss him again. Jill could feel him pressed between them as he continued kissing her.  
  
"I want you, Mike. I want you now," she whispered as he moved further up her body and she guided him into her.  
  
Mike looked down into her eyes as they moved together. He grasped her hands, now wearing their matching wedding rings and never thought he could love anybody as much as he loved Jill right at this moment. He knew he wasn't going to last long, but he wanted to give Jill a chance to catch up with him. Jill clutched at him with her legs. She still couldn't get over the way he could make her body feel. The five years she had been with Cleve, she had always thought there was something wrong with her, not realizing what Cleve was going to her was wrong. Sex with Mike was always so good. She screamed out his name as her release came. That was all Mike needed. He kissed her fervently as he came as well. Jill touched his chest as he tried to slow his breathing down. Jill loved the feel of him on top of her after they made love, the feeling that he was almost, but not quite, crushing her. It made her feel protected and loved.  
  
"Remind me to thank the Nazis for your training," she whispered as her heartbeat slowly returned to normal.  
  
"I almost didn't make it," he said breathlessly as she ran her fingers through his hair.  
  
"See, you should have let me touch you sooner," she reminded him.  
  
"I wanted things to last," he said as he reached down and brushed one of Jill's curls from her eyes. "Have I told you how much I love you?"  
  
"Not in the last hour," she smiled.  
  
"I love you, Mrs. Danko," he said, smiling down into her eyes.  
  
"I love the way that sounds. Say it again," she said.  
  
Mike kissed her gently. "Mrs. Danko."  
  
THE END 


End file.
